Transcript MAYDAY,MAYDAY,MAYDAY! - Buckley Fire Training Group

MAYDAY,
MAYDAY,
MAYDAY!
BY A/C KEN WHITMORE
Adapted from the NFA DVD “Calling the Mayday”
Taught by the Southwest WA FOOLS
COURSE OBJECTIVES
 Define a mayday situation
 Identify why firefighters
fail to or delay calling a
mayday
 Importance of calling a
mayday early
 Radio procedures
 To give you permission to
call a mayday
 Follow up with hands on
experience with the
Mayday Parameters
WHAT IS A MAYDAY SITUATION?
Pierce County Operational Guideline
MAYDAY Transmissions
A MAYDAY shall be transmitted with any of the following
hazards:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Separated from and unable to locate your crew in 30 seconds.
Disoriented and unable to locate an egress in 30 seconds.
Fallen through a floor, roof, or other confining structure.
Tangled, pinned or trapped and unable to self-extricate in 30 sec.
Low air alarm has activated and not at an egress in 30 seconds.
Primary egress is blocked or cut off.
Caught in a dynamic smoke or fire event (flashover, backdraft, etc.)
In zero visibility and have no contact with wall, rope, hose, etc.
Personnel’s protective equipment is not performing as designed.
AVOIDABLE DEATHS
EVERY YEAR FIREFIGHTERS DIE AS A RESULT OF
BEING DISORIENTED / LOST
FROM BECOMING TRAPPED OR ENTANGLED
WHAT'S THE COMMON DENOMINATOR????
THEY RUN OUT OF AIR!!!
“I FOUND MYSELF DISORIENTED
AND UNABLE TO FIND MY WAY
OUT, BUT I WAS TOO AFRAID OF
LOOKING FOOLISH IN FRONT OF
THE OTHER COMPANIES THAN I
WAS OF DYING”
TOM WESTMAN, LT. FDNY
WHY DO FIREFIGHTERS FAIL TO OR
DELAY CALLING FOR HELP?
• Pride
• We are the “fix it” people, we are there to
help not call for help
• Loss of situational awareness (lose track of
time)
• Disregarding ROAM principle
• Denial (I can’t believe this is happening)
• Fear of retribution (ridicule)
• Lack of knowledge (training, policies)
THE PROBLEMS WITH MAYDAY IN
THE FIRE SERVICE
•There are very few “Mayday” standards
•There is very little “Mayday” training being done
•There aren’t clear “Mayday” parameters
• We do not have enough Recognition Primed
Decision making experience (RPD)
RAPID INTERVENTION???
• WHEN PHOENIX FIREFIGHTER BRETT TARVER DIED IN
MARCH 2001,THERE WERE 12 ADDITIONAL MAYDAYS
CALLED BY RESCUERS DURING THE RIT OPERATION
• WHEN HOUSTON FIRE CAPTAIN JAY JAHNKE DIED IN
OCTOBER 2001, THERE WERE 4 ADDITIONAL MAYDAYS
CALLED DURING HIS ATTEMPTED RESCUE
• WHEN PHOENIX FIRE STUDIED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF
RAPID INTERVENTION WITH MORE THAN 200 RIT DRILLS
(Down FF 150’ hose line 40’ off the line) THEY
CONCLUDED THE FOLLOWING…
• MAYDAY TO RIT ENTRY WAS 3 MINUTES
• RIT CONTACT WITH DOWNED FIREFIGHTER
WAS 6 MINUTES
• TOTAL TIME INSIDE THE BUILDING FOR EACH
TEAM WAS 13 MINUTES
• TOTAL TIME FOR RESCUE WAS 22 MINUTES
• TAKES 12 FIREFIGHTERS TO RESCUE 1
• 1 IN 5 RIT MEMBERS WILL GET INTO A
MAYDAY THEMSELVES
• WHAT SHOULD THIS TELL US???????
DON’T BE A STATISTIC,
CALL EARLY
WE HAVE A LOT OF TOOLS AT
OUR DISPOSAL
• HOOKS, IRONS, AXES, SAWS, ETC.
• T.I.C.’S, SEMS, GPS, TECHNOLOGY ETC.
• MUTUAL AID, AUTOMATIC AID
• BASICALLY - WHATEVER WE NEED, WHEN
WE NEED IT, WITHOUT ANY REPERCUSSION
• WHY SHOULD CALLING A MAYDAY BE ANY
DIFFERENT!!
HOW MANY RIT’S HAVE ANY
REAL EXPERIENCE?
Is that a problem?
PERMISSION TO CALL MAYDAY
•SOMETIMES FIREFIGHTER MENTALITY IS
•IF I CALL MAYDAY I DID SOMETHING WRONG
•IF I CALL A MAYDAY I MIGHT GET IN TROUBLE
•IF I CALL A MAYDAY I MIGHT GET RIDICULED
•IF I CALL A MAYDAY IT PUTS OTHER FIREFIGHTERS AT RISK
HOWEVER. . .
THE SOONER YOU CALL THE SAFER IT IS FOR
EVERYONE!
WE NEED A CHANGE IN OUR CULTURE!
NOW THAT WE KNOW WHAT THE
PROBLEMS ARE…
We can build a system to fix it
• Parameters
• Permission
• Procedures
• Training
Fighter pilots and ejection parameters (RPD)
U.S. NAVY FIGHTER PILOT
EJECTION PARAMETERS
• NAVY PILOTS FIT THE SAME MACHO PROFILE
ALL FIREFIGHTERS HAVE ABOUT THEMSELVES…
• SOLUTION? DECIDE BEFORE YOU FLY…
• THE NAVY CAME UP WITH SET EJECTION
PARAMETERS THAT PILOTS WILL “WITHOUT
HESITATION” EJECT FROM THEIR AIRCRAFT,
THUS ALLEVIATING THE PRIDEFUL DECISION OF
TRYING TO FIX THE PROBLEM.
WOW!!!!!!
• THEY HANDLED CRASHING A MULTI-MILLION
DOLLAR PLANE MUCH THE WAY WE WOULD
HANDLE BUYING A GALLON OF MILK.
• HOW DO THEY STAY SO CALM?
Recognition Primed Decision Making
RPD
Gary Klein Ph.D.
Military/Fire Service
Experience vs. Inexperience
Slides in your slide tray
Repetition
CALLING A MAYDAY
• BASIC INFORMATION
• STRUCTURED FORMAT
• CONTACT COMMAND
• L.U.N.E.
– Location
– Unit
– Name
– Emergency
AFTER THE MAYDAY
You called a MAYDAY… Now what?
• GRAB LIVES
•
•
•
•
G – GAUGE (CHECK AIR)
R – RADIO (MAYDAY)
A – ACTIVATE (PASS)
B – BREATHING (CONTROL)
•
•
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•
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L – LOW (STAY LOW)
I – ILLUMINATE (FLASHLIGHT)
V – VOLUME (MAKE NOISE)
E – EXIT (FIND A WAY OUT)
S – SHIELD AIRWAY (HOOD OR GLOVE)
SUMMARY
• FIREFIGHTERS THINK IF THERE IS A MAYDAY
CALLED, WE WILL BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT LIKE
WE WILL HANDLE ANYTHING ELSE.
• PRACTICE, WITH YOUR RADIOS, AND YOUR
TOOLS.
• TALK ABOUT THIS WITH YOUR CREWS.
• DECIDE WHEN YOU WILL CALL A MAYDAY
BEFORE YOU NEED TO.
• STICK TO IT.
CLICK ME
PRACTICE TIME
• Location
• Unit
• Name
• Emergency
– Command from Search Team 2…
•MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY!
– Second Floor!
– Search Team 2!
– Whitmore!
– Ceiling collapse – I’ve lost my partner!