Transcript Air Management We Are Our Brother’s Keeper!

Air Management
We Are Our Brother’s Keeper!
Division Chief of Training & Safety
Brian Kazmierzak
AIR MANAGEMENT
When firefighters run out of air, they
breathe smoke.
When Firefighters breathe smoke
they die
Why do we routinely allow
firefighters to operate until their low
air warning alarm activates?
The Rule of Air Management
• KNOW how much air you have in your
SCBA and manage the amount of air you
have so that you leave the hazardous
environment before your SCBA low-air
warning alarm activate !
Who uses Air
Management?
• SCUBA divers
• Haz-Mat
• Confined Space
Why Not OPERATIONS?
Why We Need Air Management
• Firefighters die in Structure Fires from:
– Smoke
– Thermal Insult
– Structural Collapse
– Getting Lost or Separated
– Running out of air
These haven’t changed since Ben Franklin
Running Out of Air
• Running out of air effects all the other
categories on the list
– No air in the toxic smoke environment of
today leads to rapid asphyxiation
– No air during a thermal insult event will result
in immediate and fatal burns to the throat and
lungs
– No air during a structural collapse means a
lack of time for rescue and asphyxiation.
Running Out of Air
– No air when lost of separated leads to panic
or asphyxiation
– No air requires the firefighter to breathe the
products of combustion – toxic smoke that is
proven to be both poisonous and carcinogenic
– No air means that even if the firefighter
survives the initial assault on their respiratory
system the toll on their wellness will be
immeasurable – NYC Telephone Exchange
Fire
The Myths of Air Management
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Myth #1 – Training is Optional
Myth #2 – It takes too long to check my air
Myth #3 – We are too busy to check our air
Myth #4 – I’ll do it when the situation calls for it.
Myth #5 – Nobody has mandated ROAM
Myth #6 – Someone outside the hazard area
can manage air for firefighters
• Myth #7 – If we have a long bell time we can
solve the problem
• Myth #8 – My fire department does not an air
management problem
NFPA 1404
• NFPA 1404 (5.1.7, plus appendices) states the following:
• “Training policies shall include, but shall not be limited to the
following:
• (1) Identification of the various types of respiratory protection
equipment.
• (2) Responsibilities of members to obtain and maintain proper face
piece fit.
• (3) Responsibilities of members for proper cleaning and
maintenance.
• (4) Identification of the factors that affect the duration of the air
supply.
• (5) Determination of the Point of No Return for each member.
• (6) Responsibilities of members for using respiratory protection
equipment in a hazardous atmosphere.
• (7) Limitations of respiratory protection devices.
NFPA 1404 - 2007 ed.
Three simple things:
Exit BEFORE you use your reserve air.
Alarm indicates use of reserve.
Alarm activation is an “immediate
action item”
THE POINT OF NO RETURN
• In ancient lore, sailors associated the
Point of No Return with ships sailing too
close to the edge of the world and
succumbing to the pull of the water as it
dragged them over the falls. For many
firefighters, the Point of No Return
symbolizes that point beyond which you
are unable to return from the hazardous
environment-in short, the point where you
die.
The Point of NO Return
It is
NOT
the point when you
die
The Point of NO Return
• The Point at which you stop
being part of the solution
and start becoming part of
the problem.
Factors Affecting
The Point of No Return
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Entry Point
Firefighter Physical Condition
Firefighter Size
Type of work being performed
R.E.A.D.Y. Checks
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Radio
Equipment
Air
Duties
YES!
You must answer the 1st four to answer
YES!
R.E.A.D.Y. CHECKS
• Are our radios turned on, are they switched to the correct
channel, and do we know to whom we are reporting?
• Do we have the correct equipment, including appropriate
PPE for the assignment?
• Do we know our air status, and is it sufficient to make
entry?
• Do we know what our assigned task is and the overall
objective of the team?
• If the answer to all of the above is YES, you have
completed the READY Check and are prepared to tackle
your assignment.
Factors that affect air supply
duration
• Familiarity with equipment.
• Physical and emotional preparedness.
• Know what your air supply is on entry and at reasonable
intervals as you proceed into the immediately dangerous
to life and health (IDLH) environment.
• Ongoing evaluation of your team based on air supply
• The physical layout of the structure and any variables
presented as you proceed.
• Understanding how far you have advanced into the
structure or hazardous environment and the time it has
taken you to get there.
Rules of Air Management
• The heart and soul of air management is knowing how much air you
have in your cylinder.
• Know it when you go in, at intervals along the way, and make sure
you have enough air in your bottle to exit the hazardous atmosphere
before your low-air warning bell begins to ring.
• Remember, your reserve air, the air in the red zone of your air
pressure gauge, is there only for emergencies.
• You should be out of the hazardous environment before your
low-air warning bell begins to ring. Using the low-air warning
bell as a signal to exit the hazardous environment is a recipe
for disaster.
• We want the low-air warning bell to be an emergency alarm, not the
false alarm it is today on the U.S. fireground.
• Exiting the hazardous atmosphere before the low-air warning
bell begins to ring is central to the Rule of Air Management.
The Breath From Hell
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Carbon monoxide (CO)
Nitrogen dioxide
Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons
Formaldehyde
Acid gases
Phosgene
Benzene
Dioxins
PVC & Hydrogen Cyanide –
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Cyanide concentrations were directly
related to the probability of death.
Cyanide poisoning may have
predominated over CO poisoning as a
cause of death in some fire victims.
Cyanide and CO may have elevate
each other’s toxic effects.
Elevated cyanide concentrations were
pervasive among smoke-inhalation
victims.
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Acetals-aerosol containers, combs,
lighters, and pens.
Acrylics-glues, food packages, and
skylights.
Nylon-various household containers,
brushes, sewing thread, and fishing
line.
Polyesters-hair dryers, computers, and
kitchen appliances.
Polypropylene-bottles, diapers, and
furniture.
Polyurethanes-shoes, cushions.
Polyvinyl chloride-carpet, clothes,
purses, records, and shower curtains.
Thermosets-TVs, coatings, toilets,
buttons, flooring, and insulation.
Air Management SOG 209
Purpose
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The purpose of this document is to establish Air Management guidelines. Air Management is critical to the health
and safety of our members. Firefighters need to manage their air supply similar to SCUBA divers. SCUBA divers
are constantly aware of their air consumption and the amount of air they have left in their tank(s).
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Firefighters should exit the fire building or hazardous atmosphere before their low air warning bell begins
ringing. This gives them reserve air should something go wrong. A low-air warning bell ringing at an
emergency scene should become an audile warning that a firefighter may be in trouble.
Scope
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This guideline shall apply to all members of the Clay Fire Territory.
Definitions
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Air Management: An ongoing assessment of air consumption by individual firefighters and/or teams who are
breathing air from their Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). Firefighters in a hazardous atmosphere must
continually check their pressure gauges to know how much air they have left in their bottle.
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The Rule of Air Management: Know how much air you have used, and manage the amount of air you have left in
your bottle so that you leave the hazardous atmosphere before your SCBA low-air warning bell begins to ring.
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Hazardous Atmosphere: Any atmosphere which is oxygen deficient or which contains a toxic and/or diseaseproducing contaminant. These atmospheres can by immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH), or not.
IDLH: Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health
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Air Management SOG Cont.
Air Management Guideline
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It is the expectation that all Clay Fire Territory members utilizing Self Contained
Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) will:
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Check their air levels before they enter the hazardous atmosphere. Members must
have a minimum of 4050 psi in their cylinder in order to make entry into a hazardous
atmosphere. This check can be done during the pre-entry buddy check.
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Follow the Rule of Air Management when operating in any hazardous atmosphere.
When the first member of any team has their 50% capacity (225O PSI) HeadsUp Display (HUD) light activate (two flashing amber lights), the officer/team
leader shall radio to the proper ICS functionary (Command, Division, etc.) that
the team is at 50% air. This allows the ICS functionary to pre-plan for replacing
that team in the hazardous atmosphere.
If a team member works into their reserve air and their low-air warning bell begins to
ring in the hazard area, the officer/team leader shall report over the radio to the
proper ICS functionary (Command, Division, etc) their unit signature, their location,
that a team member’s low-air warning bell is ringing, and an estimation of how close
they are to the exit.
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Air Management SOG Cont.
How Air Management Works
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Air management is each firefighter’s responsibility and is closely related to situational awareness. Firefighters
must make sure that they have a full cylinder before they enter the hazardous atmosphere. Once inside the
hazardous atmosphere, firefighters must look at their pressure gauges at intervals and inform their officer/team
leader what their air situation is.
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The Officer/team leader should take the lead in air management. Officer’s and team leaders must make the
decision when to exit so that the team is out of the hazardous atmosphere before their team’s low-air warning bells
begin to ring. There are many factors that affect the duration of the team’s air supply, such as: fire conditions,
work rates, aerobic fitness of the team members, and stress.
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Officers and team leaders must notify the Incident Commander (IC) or their ICS functionary (Command,
Division, etc.) when their first team member’s 50% HUD light activates or their bottle is at 50% capacity
(2250 PSI). This allows the ICS functionary to be informed of the team’s air situation and to pre-plan for
replacing that team in the IDLH environment.
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All firefighters are expected to be out of the hazardous atmosphere before their low-air warning bells begin to ring.
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If members hear a low-air warning bell ringing in the hazardous atmosphere, and there is not an immediate radio
report from the team whose bell is ringing, that bell should be considered an emergency alarm until proven
otherwise.
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
• Situational awareness, If firefighters
conducting interior operations are ignoring
situational awareness, they are ignoring
safety, and they will pay a dear price
sooner or later.
• 20 Minute MARC’s
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
• Firefighters must know where they are in
the hazardous environment in relationship
to the entry/exit point and must constantly
monitor conditions, such as heat
conditions, fire growth, the interior layout,
the air supply of the interior team,
secondary means of egress, locations of
potential victims and how the fire
attack/search is progressing.
Disorientation Sequence
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Fire in a hazardous “Enclosed Structure”
Aggressive interior attack/search
Prolonged zero visibility conditions
Handline separation or tangled lines
Disorientation
Serious injury or firefighter fatality
Handline Separation
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Loss of balance or footing
Collision with firefighters or unseen objects
Entanglement
Exposure to falling contents
Floor collapse
Caught in flashover or backdraft
Preventing Disorientation
1. “Enclosed Structure” tactics/SOP’s
2. Thermal Imaging Cameras
3. Bernard Easy Exits or other safety
directional arrows
4. Properly trained, positioned and staffed
Rapid Intervention Team
5. “May Day” and “Abandon the Building”
training programs
The Conclusions
• Allowing yourself or anyone else under your supervision
to inhale the smoke of the modern fireground is a
dereliction of duty.
• Ignoring the need for air management training increases
the chances that your members will be involved in “close
calls,” “near- misses,” and tragedies.
• Staying in the hazard area until your low-air warning
alarm activates makes it virtually certain that your crew
will eventually be exposed to the Breath from Hell.
• Using “filter breathing” or “sucking the carpet” as
anything other than a last resort is foolish and deadly.
Special Thanks:
• MIKE GAGLIANO is a Captain with the Seattle (WA) Fire
Department, assigned to the Training Division, and a member of the
department’s Operational Skills Enhancement Development Team.
He has 19 years of fire/crash/rescue experience with the Seattle Fire
Department and the United States Air Force.
• CASEY PHILLIPS is a captain with the Seattle (WA) Fire
Department, assigned to Engine 40. He has served 13 of his 18
years in the fire service with the department and is a member of its
Operational Skills Enhancement Development Team.
• PHIL JOSE is a captain and a 17-year veteran of the Seattle (WA)
Fire Department, assigned to Ladder 5. He has served as a training
officer and is a member of the Operational Skills Enhancement
Development Team.
• STEVE BERNOCCO is a lieutenant and 14-year veteran of the
Seattle (WA) Fire Department, assigned to Ladder 10. He has
served as a training officer and is a member of the department’s
Operational Skills Enhancement Development Team.
TRAIN AS YOUR LIFE DEPENDS
ON IT…BECAUSE IT DOES!