Transcript Slide 1
Fire Service and Technology Mark Shanahan Wyatt Lansdale Thomas Zakrzewski Past Technology The first organized teams to put out fires dates all the way back to ancient Egypt and Rome. The first Roman fire brigade was a group of slaves who were hired by an aedile by the name of Marcus Egnatius Rufus. Wikipedia This was a crude method of using buckets and poles to fight fires. ->Published picture of firefighters in London, back in 1808 Transportation in the past In the past fire fighters would have bucket lines to bring the water to were the fire was. The first horse drawn steam carts came in back in 1829. Fire Engines Evolve First Combustion fire Engine back in 1907,the 1st modern fire truck Triple-combination pumper was constructed by a small New Jersey builder in 1909 Incorporated pump, hose and chemical extinguishment equipment Communication of the past Officers first used them to call cadence through the trumpets to keep the men on the hand pumpers in time They were later used for overall command at the scene of working fires Communication of the past The first two-way radio was developed by the FDNY radio lab in 1940 It weighed 131 pounds and was worn like a backpack Smaller and Portable radios were available when scientists at Bell Labs invented the transistor in 1948. Current Technology Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) Provide breathable air in a hostile environment When they were first introduced into the fire service SCBAs were a option rather then a necessity like they are today Scott Aviation was the first large scale manufacturer of SCBAs for the fire service. Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) Three parts: High Pressure bottle, Regulator and Mask Two Different types: Open and Close Open Circuit bottles are rated for 30 min Closed Circuit bottle are rate for 1 to 4 hours Scott, Survivair, MSA, Interspiro, and Draeger Personal Alert Safety System (PASS Device) Alerts other firefighters with a loud sound that the firefighter wearing that device may be in trouble. Activated when firefighter has not been moving for apox. 30 seconds or manually Integrated with SCBA or External device Thermal Imaging Camera (TIC) Camera that translates infrared radiation onto a graphical screen and helps firefighters tell temperature differences of the environment Used in Search and Rescue and to detect fire. Manufacturers: Scott, MSA, Bullard, Draeger Hazardous Materials Hazardous Materials – any substance that can cause harm to a human. Examples: gasoline, blood, corrosives, propane, poisons, blasting agents and chlorine. Today HazMat teams use special suits in combination with SCBA to approach hazardous material scenes Types of HazMat Suits Class A Vapor and respiratory protection Class B Liquid protection but no respiratory protection Class C Particle protection, Some respiratory protection Class D Fire Gear, thermal protection but very limited protection from Hazmats New and Future Technology Goals of new equipment They should be: Safer Lighter More reliable Able to simplify the job More durable PASS Device Improvements Work with GPS Help to locate downed firefighters Will show exact coordinates of downed firefighter Unfortunately it will not be able to tell what floor firefighter is on Someday may be able to give vitals Dispatch/Communication Can trace where 911 call came from (including cell phones) Location of fire engines can be shown using GPS Communication between departments easier Alarms can be sounded in other towns for mutual aid Portable radios makes on scene communication easier Self Contained Breathing Apparatus Made out of lighter material Smaller size/same amount of air Possibly more air Nuclear, radial, biological, and chemical protection HUD shows amount of air left in cylinder Ergonomically designed Ability to give victims air w/o removing mask Foam Advantages Smothers flame easier Can be used on fires water cannot Less steam Disadvantages More expensive Limited supply Different types of fires require different types of foam Require durable laptop and special software to create mixture Videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PL3Iu PREXo