QUESTION: Much has been written about the toxins contained in smoke. We have been aware of the effects of carbon monoxide for a long time. Other chemicals, such as hydrogen cyanide, are being given more weight as contributing causes to firefighter deaths and injuries. Most departments have a mandatory mask policy that provides guidelines for wearing SCBA at fires. Does your department have a written policy on the use of SCBA at fires? Who is responsible for compliance?
I BEGIN MANY OF THESE ROUNDtable discussions with the statement “when I came on the job” because I believe it gives us a point of reference for the issue in question. It also illustrates how things changed in 30 years. I remember one of my first lieutenants pulling my face piece off my face at a few fires while laughing and asking me, “When are you going to learn to eat a little smoke, kid?”
In those days, the mid-to-late ’70s, you wore a mask at a fire, or you didn’t. No rules! If you looked at the smoke and thought you could take it, you went in without one. If you believed you might have a problem (the smoke looked a little thick) or you thought you might be in for awhile, you put it on. I still remember standing near a balcony sliding door in an apartment fire with about three to five feet of visibility, sharing a cigarette with a fellow firefighter and laughing at a new lieutenant from an outlying company who was crawling across the floor with a mask on his back. I was an idiot then!
In 1988, I was the chief of training. Chief William Winkle asked me to write a “mandatory mask” policy for the department. I did. It went into effect late that year. As with all new policies, it took a little getting used to (along with eventually a little discipline) to enforce it. The next year, Mike Wolever (now the acting chief of the department) was given a written reprimand and a chicken dinner at the annual hero’s banquet for rescuing an elderly woman from her home. He was the officer of the first-in crew. Although his crew masked up and pulled a line, he went in by himself without a mask and pulled her out. He was given a written reprimand for violating the mask policy and then a few months later was given an award for heroism for the rescue.
Our policy states (and I paraphrase from a two-page policy): “You will have an SCBA ‘in-service’ any time you enter a building or an atmosphere that is (or could) contain smoke.” Violation of the policy is a safety violation and is punishable with a written reprimand for the first offense, progressing up to 10 days off and/or termination for a fourth violation within a 12-month period. It is the responsibility of the individual firefighters (and probably their officers, if they are aware of the violation) for following this policy.
-John “Skip” Coleman, deputy chief of fire prevention, Toledo (OH) Department of Fire and Rescue, is author of Incident Management for the Street-Smart Fire Officer (Fire Engineering, 1997) and Managing Major Fires (Fire Engineering, 2000), a technical editor of Fire Engineering, and a member of the FDIC Educational Advisory Board.
Ron Hiraki, assistant chief,
Gig Harbor (WA) Fire & Medic One
Response: Ideally, each member is responsible for complying with our policy requiring the use of SCBA at fires. The overall responsibility rests with the incident commander (IC).
Ensuring the use of SCBA in the overhaul and postfire phase always requires a little more diligence. Our members are very self-disciplined in the use of air monitors that detect oxygen, combustibles, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen sulfide gases. Even when there are no visible signs of smoke or fumes, members wearing SCBA check the structure and area to ensure a degree of safety. They are also trained to be aware of other chemicals or particulates that may be present but are not detectable by our air monitors. For example, asbestos may be present in older structures. If conditions are deemed to be safe, the IC may approve entering the structure without SCBA.
Our current members have read and heard about the long-term negative health effects of working in the overhaul and postfire phase without the use of SCBA before a risk analysis has been completed. We make every effort to provide the equipment and training to complete a risk analysis. Generally, we do not have any problems with our members’ complying with this practice.
Mike Mason, lieutenant,
Downers Grove (IL) Fire Department
Response: Let’s begin with a short story. We arrive on the scene of a two-story colonial home with fire showing on the second-floor street-side bedroom. On completing a 360° walk-around and checking the rear door as I pass back around to the front of the home, I apply my mask and enter the structure with my thermal imaging camera (TIC). I immediately locate the center staircase and head up to the top of the stairs and confirm through the use of my TIC the fire’s exact location and areas of extension. I race back down the stairs to the open front door, and my company is ready to go to battle with masks and charged line; everyone is in place. We head up the stairs on a quick look provided to my nozzleman through the TIC; we make our way through thick black smoke to the seat of the fire. All hands are working in sync with the end resolve of extinguishing the room-and-contents fire.
After extinguishment, the nozzleman and I report the fire under control and ask for the truck company to help us pull some ceiling and wall to check for evidence of fire extension. It’s very smoky, and we still have our masks in place. Up come the truck company members with their tools of force; they begin pulling ceiling and taking windows out everywhere. My partner and I look at each other in amazement, wondering how they are performing their tasks red-faced, spitting, drooling, and hacking. They are not on a stitch of air from their SCBAs. Some of them say they have to open the place up and take more windows because they can’t breath. I’ll stop here!
Guys my age have been there and done that time and time again, because at one time that was the tough thing to do, eat smoke. Hopefully, this is not the case any longer. It should not be occurring in any department in America-or the world, for that matter. The past 10 years have provided us with ample evidence of the contents of this ugly black stuff, the lethal toxins produced as the by-products of combustion in today’s fires.
There is no excuse for any firefighter to be breathing in this junk on any occasion, let alone right after a room-and-contents fire. The contents of the structure and the materials of construction produce the cyanides and other toxins. It’s time for all departments to establish protocols for SCBA use during these structure fires-not only for extension and overhaul operations but also for any operations that might involve immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) environments. We need to rethink the definition of an IDLH environment in relation to postextinguishment operations at structure fires. IDLH should also have us thinking of what our quality of health will be years down the road after breathing in the toxins at all these fires.
As an officer, I, along with our department, make sure that our members are using their smarts instead of the tough-it-out-and-breath-it mentality that used to define “smoke eaters.” Those days are gone.
The first thing a department should do when addressing the issue of wearing SCBA before, during, and after the fire is to establish the parameters, with its members, for determining when all on the fireground should be on air or off air. Following are some conditions that warrant wearing the mask:
- When working on the ground outside the structure with smoke constantly encircling you.
- When on a ladder about to ventilate a charged room or working in heavy smoke during postextinguishment.
- When assigned extension and overhaul work with limited ventilation and smoke present.
Departments should monitor working conditions within structures during extension and overhaul operations to determine when firefighters can go off air and also when they should return to air if necessary. If the air in the environment causes even the slightest discomfort, firefighters should stay on air or go on air, depending on the situation.
If you go on bell or low-air alarm, it’s time to leave in pairs if you can. During overhaul situations, you can leave by yourself. Just tell your partner, your officer, and your sector. Don’t disconnect your regulator and continue working with your mask on breathing in what’s making you cough and drool.
Chief officers and commanders need to rethink the number of personnel they may need to get the job done when it comes to extension and overhaul. Allowing personnel to work in these environments with compromised breathing air is unacceptable; replacements should be provided so workloads can be shared, to prevent firefighters from working postfire in toxic smoke-filled environments. Positive pressure should be present as long as things are under control; safety officers should ensure that firefighters are not drooling or coughing and are not the beet-red color of CO poisoning. If so, these firefighters should be pulled out and replaced, especially if it is a long, continuous postfire extension and overhaul operation.
Jeffrey Schwering, lieutenant,
Crestwood (MO) Department of Fire Services
Response:Our department doesn’t have a written policy in place. Our unwritten guidelines have been in place for many years. In the past 16 years, the guidelines have become stricter and enforcement has become stronger.
An SCBA is not just for structure fires anymore. Department guidelines require that our SCBA be worn on automatic fire alarms, gas leaks, in or outside a structure, at dumpster fires, for vehicle fires, and for other incidents. On a still alarm or single-company response, the company officer is responsible for SCBA compliance.
At a working structure fire, the company officer is initially responsible for the members’ safety. Company officers must be sure all members are in full personal protective equipment (PPE), masks included, no exceptions. On the duty chief’s arrival, he ensures full PPE and SCBA compliance of all members operating on the fireground.
Unfortunately, my fire department has had several retired members pass away from cancer-related illnesses. With the new information and the studies being done on the toxins contained in the smoke, we are starting to see a positive attitude change within our department. Our members are beginning to understand that by continued training and education, we can be healthy in retirement.
Gary Seidel, chief,
Hillsboro (OR) Fire Department
Response: We have procedures that establish the requirements and practices for respiratory protection. Application of this procedure is in compliance with and meets or exceeds the following regulations and recommendations for respiratory protection for the fire service: Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 1910.134 and Mine Safety Appliances Company (MSA).
The chief is responsible for administering the respiratory protection program. Coordination of the program may be assigned to a respiratory protection coordinator.
Firefighters are to use SCBA in atmospheres that should always be assumed to be IDLH. There is no way to predetermine what concentrations of toxic materials or percentages of oxygen in air exist in a fire environment during overhaul operations, in actual hazardous materials releases, or in potential releases of hazardous materials.
Therefore, all personnel should use SCBA when working in any of the following (and other) fire environments: confined spaces, overhaul operations, suspected chemical environments, hazardous materials operations that necessitate the use of SCBA-in other words, any environment that has the potential to become rapidly contaminated; that contains harmful contaminants; and that is deficient in oxygen levels and postfire, fire-origin, and cause-determination scenes.
When personnel are involved in operations necessitating the use of SCBA, the IC is responsible for maintaining a constant awareness of the number and identities of personnel using SCBA, their assigned locations and functions, and their time of entry. The IC shall have extra personnel with SCBA available for rescue.
Thomas Dunne, deputy chief,
Fire Department of New York
Response:We have a precise written policy regarding SCBA use. Mask use is required at any fire, emergency, or confined-space operation that subjects a firefighter to smoke or toxic substances. If a mask should become depleted or malfunction, a firefighter must notify his officer and immediately leave the toxic area, accompanied by another firefighter. The IC alone can determine when mask usage can be discontinued.
All of our firefighters are individually required to follow this policy. Chiefs and company officers are held responsible for compliance. And, this is not limited to interior structural work. The hundreds of stove fires, car fires, and oil-burner emergencies to which firefighters respond over their career can also have a cumulative effect on their health.
My father (and thousands of other men) worked in the premask era. That period clearly took a great health toll on many “leather-lunged” firefighters. Today, I cannot imagine any fire department functioning without a mandated SCBA policy, nor can I fathom why anyone would neglect to follow such a policy.
New firefighters should set a goal of someday leaving the fire service with lungs as healthy as the day they started their career. Proper mask use is the best assurance toward achieving that goal.
Craig H. Shelley, fire protection advisor
Response: Our department has written procedures for SCBA usage and wearer accountability. SCBA must be worn when personnel enter an IDLH atmosphere or one that is likely to become one. The IC is ultimately responsible and has the authority to mandate SCBA at any time.
In an industrial setting, we must be aware not only of the immediate fire hazard but also of any possible hazard from surrounding conditions. If there is a possibility that a toxic product may become a problem to firefighters because of flame impingement or leakage, it is imperative that SCBA be worn. Many times, we are lulled into a false sense of security when there is very little smoke visible and we believe we are not exposed to the toxic products of combustion. In an industrial facility, the toxic products may be colorless and odorless, striking down firefighters and plant workers unexpectedly.
We also use the United Kingdom Breathing Apparatus Entry Control Procedures (see “Breathing Apparatus Control Procedures: Learning from the U.K.,” Fire Engineering, May 2004). This system is used anytime SCBA is used. Entry control boards are placed in service at points of entry; member/team locations and assignments as well as air management are monitored from this location. As with any system or procedure, it will work only if used and practiced during drills. Officers have the obligation and legal responsibility to ensure that policies and procedures regarding SCBA usage are followed. The days of “leather lungs” and “wooden hydrants” should be long gone. We have replaced the wooden hydrants, but “leather lungs” are still in use in many departments. We owe it to ourselves and to our families to adhere to strict SCBA policies and procedures.
David “Chip” Comstock, chief,
Western Reserve (OH) Joint Fire District
Response:Our written policy requires that firefighters wear SCBA in any environment that is potentially hazardous to their health. Each firefighter is required to comply with the written procedure; enforcement is ultimately left to the company and chief officers. Very few firefighters, if any, violate the policy when entering a hazardous environment. Problems occur during the overhaul stage, when firefighters are tired and do not want to wear an SCBA mask. Firefighters have become more accepting of wearing masks during overhaul when carbon monoxide meters are used within the structure to measure CO toxicity. Firefighters who previously might have removed their masks are now reluctant to do so when the meters are clearly demonstrating 300 ppm or greater. Firefighters now continue to wear SCBA as long as any carbon monoxide is present.
Although the meters do not test for hydrogen cyanide or other toxic gases, the theory is that if there is no carbon monoxide present, it is unlikely that other gases will be present in toxic levels when sufficient ventilation of the structure has been accomplished.
John W. Shiflett, captain,
Prince William County (VA) Department of Fire & Rescue
Response: Our department and the Fire & Rescue Association have several policies in place that deal with the use of SCBA at incidents. One procedure is the “Respiratory Protection Program,” which outlines the requirements set forth in OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134. Included in this procedure is a description of incident types and training scenarios that require the use of SCBA. We also have “Tactical Operational Guidelines” that list the protective gear, tools, and responsibilities for each person for that particular type of operation.
The proper use of SCBA by our personnel is a topic that is aggressively targeted in our recruit schools. Recruits learn early in their career that the SCBA is their best friend and that they should become intimately familiar with its use. Proper checkout and wearing of the SCBA is conducted daily throughout the school. In fact, every scenario is conducted wearing an SCBA.
Each employee is responsible for wearing and using SCBA at the required incidents. If the employee fails to adhere to the procedure, the unit officer is then responsible for ensuring that the employee follows the established procedures. The IC makes the ultimate decision on the use of SCBA at working incidents once atmospheric monitoring has been completed. We are starting to see the continued use of SCBA well after the CO levels have dropped below the acceptable level because of the other hazards associated with burning materials.
Our breathing apparatus specialists are responsible for the yearly fit testing required by OSHA. The health and safety officer ensures that the required medical evaluations are conducted for all members. Annually, the battalion safety officers audit the stations to make sure all required SCBA records are being kept.
Our department members have demonstrated over the years that SCBA use is a top priority; very seldom, if ever, does a member have to be reminded to use SCBA.
Paul J. Urbano, captain,
Anchorage (AK) Fire Department
Response: This question forced me to review several of our department’s standard operating guidelines (SOGs) that I haven’t read in awhile. Here are some excerpts from a few SOGs that specifically reference SCBA use in our department.
- If visible smoke conditions are present, full SCBA use is required.
- Monitor structure for carbon monoxide levels before SCBA removal.
- Personnel working in a suspected ignitable atmosphere (i.e., attempting to shut off a leaking gas line) shall use SCBA and be covered by a staffed and charged protective hoseline and/or dry chemical extinguisher.
Every individual is responsible for compliance when it comes to PPE, but our company officers are held accountable by the battalion chiefs and safety officers. I’ve made a decision to keep my mask on more than I used to. When my firefighters see me wearing mine, they wear theirs.
We all know that carbon monoxide is only one of many highly toxic products of combustion found during overhaul. We also know that hydrogen cyanide is 35 times more toxic than carbon monoxide. Since we don’t monitor for hydrogen cyanide, I don’t know if it’s present; therefore, I wear my mask. Even when the CO monitor reads less than 35 ppm, I still wear my mask-and yes, even during overhaul.
I know it’s a pain to wear your mask after a good job, but the alternative can be much worse. I can wear an SCBA mask during overhaul or an O2 mask during retirement. I choose overhaul.
Mitch Brooks, lieutenant,
Columbus (OH) Division of Fire
Response: SCBA use is required any time firefighters are operating in unknown atmospheres assumed to be IDLH (never advance on fire without water; never advance on smoke without air).
Monitoring of the atmosphere for CO is required prior to overhaul. Once CO levels are below 50 ppm, SCBA face pieces can be removed, assuming that continuous ventilation occurs (using electric positive-pressure ventilation).
We recently purchased multigas meters, which monitor the atmosphere for oxygen levels, carbon monoxide levels, lower explosive limits, and hydrogen sulfide levels. These meters are now used in place of CO-only monitors in all suspicious and unknown atmospheres.
David Edwards, fire engineer,
Plano (TX) Fire Department
Response: Our policy regulates the use of SCBA in any atmosphere that is or may likely become a hazardous environment. Firefighters are to exercise common sense regarding the use of SCBA-they are not to place themselves in a contaminated atmosphere. Officers are to ensure that their firefighters use common sense and that personnel are not placed in a contaminated atmosphere while forecasting the probability/likelihood of an atmosphere’s becoming contaminated. Our personnel are aggressively trained on the use of SCBA.
Jerry J.M. Moreau Jr., lieutenant,
Northern Lakes (ID) Fire Protection District
Response:Our policy is that all personnel expected to respond and function in areas of atmospheric contamination shall be equipped with SCBA and trained in its proper use and maintenance. Members may also be required to undergo a physical examination annually if they are expected to respond and function in areas of atmospheric contamination.
Members shall achieve a nonleaking face piece-to-skin seal with the mask. Facial hair shall not be allowed at points where the SCBA face piece is designed to seal with the face. Individual members shall be accountable for compliance with this requirement.
The intent of the SCBA policy is to avoid any respiratory contact with products of combustion, superheated gases, toxic products, or other hazardous contaminants.
The use of breathing apparatus means that all personnel shall have face pieces in place, breathing from the supply provided. SCBA shall be used by all personnel operating in an atmosphere that is contaminated, that may suddenly become contaminated, that is oxygen deficient, or that is suspect of being contaminated or oxygen deficient.
This includes all personnel operating in an active fire area; directly above an active fire area; in a potential explosion or fire area, including gas leaks and fuel spills; where products of combustion are visible in the atmosphere, including vehicle fires and dumpster fires; where invisible contaminants are suspected to be present (i.e., carbon monoxide during overhaul); and in any confined space that has not been tested to establish respiratory safety.
In addition to the above, all personnel operating at fire incidents shall wear SCBA when operating aboveground, belowground, or in any other area that is not but may become contaminated by products of combustion or other hazardous substances. In these circumstances only, the SCBA may be worn with the face piece removed. The wearing of SCBA in these situations provides that it will be immediately available for use if conditions change or if personnel are to enter an area where the use of SCBA is required.
Firefighters must avoid prematurely removing SCBA at all times. This is particularly significant during overhaul when smoldering materials may produce increased quantities of carbon monoxide and other toxic products. In these cases, SCBA must be used or the atmosphere must be changed.
In routine fire situations, the company officers decide whether to remove the SCBA; the sector officer must approve the decision, based on an evaluation of conditions. Prior to removal, fire areas shall be thoroughly ventilated and, where necessary, continuous ventilation shall be provided.
If there is any doubt about respiratory safety, SCBA use shall be maintained until the atmosphere is established to be safe by testing. Safety sector personnel shall be responsible for the determination. This is required in complex situations, particularly when toxic materials may be involved.
All members of the fire battalion are evaluated on the use of the SCBA quarterly and annually. Each member must be able to demonstrate a high level of proficiency and compatibility with the SCBA under conditions that simulate those expected as part of the job requirement. Each member shall also demonstrate an effective face piece-to-skin seal of the SCBA face piece.
In addition to this policy, air monitoring is conducted when any perceived IDLH environment is encountered.
B. Keith Singles, firefighter,
Hampton (VA) Fire Department
Response: We have a written policy for the use of the SCBA, and all fire department personnel are to be in compliance. Suppression and support personnel are to wear the SCBA properly while conducting firefighting and confined space operations during such times when the atmosphere is deemed hazardous, is suspected of being hazardous, and may rapidly become hazardous.
An effective face-to-face piece seal is extremely important while using an SCBA. Even a minor leak in the face piece will allow contaminants to enter. With a positive-pressure SCBA, any outward leakage will lead to an increase of unnecessary air consumption. The firefighter must have a tight seal on his mask to ensure that no contaminants enter and that he has maximum air supply before entering the hazardous atmosphere.
Firefighters using SCBA shall operate in teams of at least two and should be in constant contact with each other in case one gets into trouble; then both firefighters will exit together. While operating in atmospheres that require the use of SCBA, a third firefighter is assigned to remain outside of the IDLH area. This firefighter is responsible for maintaining a constant awareness of the number of firefighters and their identities, locations, functions, and times of entry.
Members of the fire division with excessive facial hair-i.e., beards or long sideburns-are prohibited from wearing the units because it is not possible to get a proper seal from the mask, which would endanger not only them but also their partners. Division personnel purchase and maintain all SCBA units and their components.
Jeff Buccola, firefighter/paramedic,
West Chicago (IL) Fire Protection District
Response: We have a policy on the use of SCBAs at fires and other emergencies. It applies to all district members who respond to emergency operations and states that all members “shall don SCBA when engaged in operations where the atmospheres is hazardous, is suspected of being hazardous, or may rapidly become hazardous.” This applies anytime we are working in an IDLH environment, a potentially IDLH environment, or an unknown environment. The policy applies to structure fires (interior or exterior), vehicle fires, dumpster/trash container fires, potential hazmat incidents, or anytime a company officer or the IC deems it necessary.
When any of the above situations exists (anytime we need to use SCBAs), all members shall operate in teams of a minimum of two. Also, anytime we engage in interior structural firefighting, team members shall remain in contact with each other by visual, audible, or physical means or guide rope to provide assistance in an emergency. Furthermore, two members shall remain outside the IDLH atmosphere to provide assistance to interior crews in an emergency (two in/two out). The policy also states that if the SCBA is not equipped with an integrated PASS device, members shall activate the manual PASS to the ON position.
Company officers, sector officers, a safety officer, or the IC may determine when the crews are to be rotated through rehab. In most cases, this will occur at 45-minute to one-hour intervals. This will usually be following the use of two SCBA cylinders; however, extreme weather or strenuous working conditions may decrease this interval (all members will be rotated through rehab at least once). Additionally, our members train on the use of SCBA on a regular basis. It is part of our company and departmentwide training.
Brian M. Halwachs, assistant chief,
French Village (IL) Fire Department
Response: We have had an established SCBA policy for quite awhile. Firefighters are instructed from day one on SCBA use and compliance. It is everyone’s responsibility-from chief to probationary firefighters-to ensure SCBA use. Our policy also includes provisions for use during overhaul. We test the air for CO during overhaul; if it is above 35 ppm, an SCBA is required. We train at least quarterly on SCBA procedures and usage.
Gary W. Collier, chief,
Crane (TX) Volunteer Fire Department
Response: Our SOG states that SCBA shall be provided for and used by all personnel working in areas where the atmosphere is hazardous, is suspected of being hazardous, or may rapidly become hazardous.
We are committed to having all SCBA equipment tested within the specified guidelines of government agencies. Any equipment that does not meet standards is repaired or removed from service.
When using SCBA, there should never be a single firefighter in operation. At least two should enter, and they should maintain visual or physical contact.
On-scene officers are responsible for ensuring compliance with the SOG.
Skip Heflin, captain,
Hall County (GA) Fire Services
Response:We require the use of SCBA at any incident involving an IDLH atmosphere, and we have policies in place to guide our members. At a structure fire, the use of respiratory protection is permitted to be relaxed when the CO level is below 100 ppm, at the discretion of the IC.
At nonfire IDLH emergencies, the oxygen level is required to be 20 percent minimum, and there must be no readings on flammable and toxic gases.
As a department, we adhere to the nonfire SCBA policy very well; at structure fires, it’s another story. How long SCBA use continues after knockdown of the initial fire depends on the shift. Most firefighters will leave it on until they exit the structure. Others will remove their mask and continue to wear the frame on their backs.
Recruit training on SCBA is strict; recruits are taught to leave their full SCBA system in place until they leave the toxic atmosphere. They are taught the rules of air management, the point of no return, and the deadly nature of smoke. Veteran firefighters have been taught the same; but as we all know, habits change after the fire academy. By coincidence, our department’s monthly fire training topic this month is “Hydrogen Cyanide.” Our department is doing better than it has in the past when it comes to SCBA use. As times change, we attempt to remain proactive and encourage our firefighters, through in-service training and policy enforcement, to protect themselves.
Matt Rettmer, lieutenant,
Castle Rock (CO) Fire Department
Response:We have a written policy on wearing SCBAs. It outlines that personnel shall use full SCBA when operating in IDLH atmospheres, which include but are not limited to all types of fires (dumpster, car, structure), when CO levels are above 35 ppm, when oxygen is deficient (less than 19 percent), for gas leaks inside structures (as well as outside if work in the area is necessary), for hazmat incidents, and for any other IDLH environments.
The individual is responsible for compliance. However, the company officer must ensure that members are compliant. Leading by example is the way to enforce the use of wearing and using SCBA.
For the most part, our members don’t buy into the traditional “smoke-eater” mentality, because we have learned of the career-shortening effects of breathing smoke and other toxins. Our members are all compliant with wearing SCBA, which is stressed in our recruit academy from the very first week.
Like wearing a seat belt, wearing an SCBA and using it will reduce the chances of shortening our career (and life).
Rick Mosher, lieutenant,
Merriam (KS) Fire Department
Response: Department guidelines require that an SCBA be donned en route to any alarm that can expose members to a possible IDLH environment. This means if there is the slightest chance of smoke or fire, the SCBA must be donned with full turnouts. On arrival, the engine or truck company crew masks up if the environment dictates it. Some of the environments that require full turnouts and SCBA are all automatic alarms, investigations, and all types of fires. Also, the IC or safety officer breaks down every incident into a warm and a hot zone. Full turnouts with SCBA are required in the warm zone; the mask must be worn in the hot zone. Every firefighter/fire officer is responsible for following the policy; the company officer is held accountable for the entire engine or truck company.
Derek Williams, captain,
Mesa (AZ) Fire Department
Response: This is an issue that needs to be examined carefully, especially in light of recent information regarding the effects of cyanide on firefighters. As a generalization, the fire service has always viewed salvage and overhaul as a “housekeeping” function. Although critical to customer service and the prevention of rekindles, overhaul has never been viewed as a “high-risk” activity.
Our department operates under SOGs that have been developed as part of a Regional Response Committee. They state: “The decision to remove SCBA shall be made by company officers, with the approval of sector officers, based on an evaluation of atmospheric conditions.”
Although I feel that the responsibility ultimately should be placed on the company officers, it is becoming increasingly difficult to determine what is in fact a “safe” environment. Support for this decision-making process must be in place in the forms of technology, training, and a good dose of common sense. We routinely measure air quality during overhaul operations. Ladder companies and hazmat companies carry metering equipment that monitors for a variety of gases to help determine a safe environment. Additionally, carbon monoxide detectors in rehab (combined with toxicology trained paramedics), proper ventilation, and fireground support operations, coupled with an aggressive safety attitude from incident commanders, safety officers, and company officers, form the basis for these decisions.
Thus far, our SCBA policies and SOGs have served us well. However, there is always room for change and improvement. In the end, the question company officer must ask themselves is, “Are we risking our people for that which is already lost?”
