Transcript Rules of Air Management 2015

Rules of Air Management 2015
Snohomish County Fire Chiefs
Air Management (ROAM) Guideline
Document 60-07-09 (Adopted 12/2009)
Purpose:
To provide a guideline for rules that governs the use of SCBA in operational situations; specifically the use and
management of SCBA air.
References:
NFPA 1404 Fire Service Respiratory Protection
“Air Management in the Fire Service” Gagliano, Philiips, Jose, Bernocco
Seattle Fire Department – ROAM Standard Operating Guideline
Procedure:
1.
Work Periods When Using SCBA:
a. After two 30 minute work periods or one 45 or 60 minute work period members will report to
the rehab area for fluids, rest, cooling (active and/or passive) and medical evaluation.
Snohomish County Fire Chiefs
Air Management (ROAM) Guideline
Document 60-07-09 (Adopted 12/2009)
Continued…
Procedure (Continued)
b. Company Officers should be constantly evaluating the mental status and general appearance of
their crews and report to rehab for evaluation when necessary.
c. A work period shall be defined as consumption of one 30 minute bottle of air, including the
time required to exit the IDLH atmosphere and clear gross decontamination. Consumption of one
45 minute or one 60 minute bottle of air shall be considered to be 2 work periods and will require
assignment to rehab. Exception: using 30 minutes or less air from a 45 minute or 60 minute
bottle shall be considered 1 work period.
2.
Rules of Air Management
a. Air Management is critical to the health and safety of our members.
b. Firefighters shall continuously monitor and manage their air supply.
c. Entry team members should help monitor each other’s air level.
Snohomish County Fire Chiefs
Air Management (ROAM) Guideline
Document 60-07-09 (Adopted 12/2009)
Continued…
Procedure (Continued)
d. Firefighters shall make every effort to exit the fire building or hazardous atmosphere before
their low-air warning alarm activates.
e. Entry personnel must take into account the need for residual air to complete the
decontamination process.
f. A low-air warning alarm activation at an emergency scene is a warning that a firefighter may be
in trouble.
3.
Air Management Standard:
It is the expectation that all personnel using self contained breathing apparatus will:
a. Check their air levels before entering a hazardous atmosphere. Members must have a
minimum of 4050 PSI in their cylinder in order to make initial entry into a hazardous atmosphere.
This check must be done during the pre-entry buddy check.
Snohomish County Fire Chiefs
Air Management (ROAM) Guideline
Document 60-07-09 (Adopted 12/2009)
Continued…
Procedure (Continued)
b. Follow the Rules of Air Management when operating in a hazardous atmosphere.
c. When the first member of any team has their 50% heads-up display (HUD) light activates (half
bottle indications, one (1) yellow LED, flashing at one (1x) time per second), the officer/team
leader shall radio to the proper ICS supervisor (IC, Operations, Division/Group) that the team is at
50% air. This shall be done following the C.A.N. format (conditions, actions, needs) and will be
reported at the end of this report. This allows the appropriate supervisor to pre-plan for replacing
that team in the hazardous atmosphere.
d. When the first member of any team has their 25% heads-up display (HUD) light activate
(Quarter bottle indication, one (1) red LED, flashing at 10 (10x) times per second), the officer/team
leader shall exit the IDLH atmosphere with the entire team intact. It is the department’s
expectation that all members will exit the hazard area before their low-air warning alarms
activated.
Snohomish County Fire Chiefs
Air Management (ROAM) Guideline
Document 60-07-09 (Adopted 12/2009)
Continued…
Procedures (Continued)
e. In the rare instance in which 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 supervisor their unit signature, their location, that a team member’s low-air
warning is ringing, and an estimation of how close they are to the exit.
Three Simple
Rules!
Exit BEFORE you use your
reserve air. Alarm indicates
use of reserve air.
Alarm activation is an
“immediate action item”.
We want you through gross
decontamination before your
low-air alarm activates!
Do you see a
problem?
Firefighters should remain vigilant
about remaining “on air”
throughout the gross
decontamination process.
Byproducts of combustion are still
present and off-gassing through
out the gross decontamination
process. Yet another reason to
conserve your air!
How well do you know your SCBA?
• What is the limitation of your SCBA?
• Do you know your SCBA emergency procedures?
• How often do you or your company train on your
SCBA’s emergency procedures?
• When you do practice your SCBA’s emergency
procedures do you practice in challenging conditions
or in restricted spaces?
• Next to your brain, your SCBA is your most important
tool!
Point of No Return
• What is your point of no return?
• Factors that affect your point of no return:
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Entry Point Location
Individual’s Physical Condition
Individual’s Size
Type of Work being Performed
Crew Size
Structural Layout
Cleanliness or Hoarding within the Structure
Each incident has a different Point of No Return!
Situational Awareness
Firefighters must know where
they are in the hazardous
environment in relationship to the
entry/exit point and must
constantly monitor conditions,
these include but are not limited
to: air supply, rate of air
consumption, heat conditions, fire
growth, interior layout, secondary
means of egress, locations of
potential victims, and how the fire
attack/search is progressing
Practical Application
Objectives:
To reinforce the Countywide adopted guideline and
aforementioned principles.
How:
The fire company (Company Officer led) will perform simulated
firefighting tasks within their station or designated training area applying the
ROAM guideline with appropriate communications and exiting before low-air
alarm sounds.
Considerations:
This drill should provide enough exertion that the air usage should
require the Company Officer/Team Leader to create a mental plan for rotating
crew members workloads.
The drill’s duration & exertion level should be sufficient enough to require the
Company Officer/Team Leader to provide at least two simulated “CAN
Reports”.
The Company Officer/Team Leader should monitor other team
member’s air consumption to gauge the difference of the different
team members usage.
Practical Application (continued)
• Potential Drill Examples:
 Carry out a simulated search with a dry hose line in
apparatus bay or station with obstacles while monitoring
SCBA air consumption.
 Perform a “Firefighter Challenge” type course
incorporating tools into the drill while monitoring air
consumption.
 Try to integrate emergency SCBA procedure into the drill.
DON’T BE A NIOSH REPORT!
Hartford Firefighter Died After
Tank Ran Out Of Air.
HARTFORD — The office of the chief state
medical examiner ruled Thursday that
Hartford firefighter Kevin Bell died because
his tank ran out of air while he was fighting
a house fire on Blue Hills Avenue.
Medical Examiner James Gill has ruled Bell's
death an accident caused by lack of
"breathing gas." The death certificate states
that Bell's self-contained breathing
apparatus ran out of air while he was
fighting the fire. It also lists cardiac
hypertrophy as a contributing factor in his
death.
Bell had been in the house for a total of less
than 21 minutes, according to records. An
air tank is rated for 30 minutes of air but
there are a variety of factors that go into
how long a firefighter's air bottle lasts,
including level of exertion or how much air
is taken in with each breath.