Air Management We Are Our Brothers Keeper

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Air Management We Are Our Brothers Keeper!

• Division Chief of Training Safety
• Brian Kazmierzak

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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?
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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 !

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Who uses Air Management?

• SCUBA divers
• Haz-Mat
• Confined Space
• Why Not OPERATIONS?

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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 havent changed since Ben Franklin

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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.

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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

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The Myths of Air Management

• 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 Ill 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

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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.

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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
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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.

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The Point of NO Return

• It is
• NOT
• the point when you die

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The Point of NO Return

• The Point at which you stop being part of the
  solution and start becoming part of the problem.

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Factors Affecting The Point of No Return

• Entry Point
• Firefighter Physical Condition
• Firefighter Size
• Type of work being performed

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R.E.A.D.Y. Checks

• Radio
• Equipment
• Air
• Duties
• YES!
• You must answer the 1st four to answer YES!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The Breath From Hell

• Carbon monoxide (CO)
• Nitrogen dioxide
• Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons
• Formaldehyde
• Acid gases
• Phosgene
• Benzene
• Dioxins
• PVC Hydrogen Cyanide
• 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 others
  toxic effects.
• Elevated cyanide concentrations were pervasive
  among smoke-inhalation victims.

• 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.

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Air Management SOG 209

• Purpose
• 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).
•  
• 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
• This guideline shall apply to all members of the
  Clay Fire Territory.
• Definitions
• 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.
•  
• 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.
• Hazardous Atmosphere Any atmosphere which is
  oxygen deficient or which contains a toxic and/or
  disease-producing 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
•  
• It is the expectation that all Clay Fire
  Territory members utilizing Self Contained
  Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) will
• 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.
•  
• 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) Heads-Up 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 members 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
• Air management is each firefighters
  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.
• The Officer/team leader should take the lead in
  air management. Officers and team leaders must
  make the decision when to exit so that the team
  is out of the hazardous atmosphere before their
  teams low-air warning bells begin to ring.
  There are many factors that affect the duration
  of the teams air supply, such as fire
  conditions, work rates, aerobic fitness of the
  team members, and stress.
• Officers and team leaders must notify the
  Incident Commander (IC) or their ICS functionary
  (Command, Division, etc.) when their first team
  members 50 HUD light activates or their bottle
  is at 50 capacity (2250 PSI). This allows the
  ICS functionary to be informed of the teams air
  situation and to pre-plan for replacing that team
  in the IDLH environment.
•  
• All firefighters are expected to be out of the
  hazardous atmosphere before their low-air warning
  bells begin to ring.
•  
• 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.

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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 MARCs

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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.

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Disorientation Sequence

• 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

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Handline Separation

• Loss of balance or footing
• Collision with firefighters or unseen objects
• Entanglement
• Exposure to falling contents
• Floor collapse
• Caught in flashover or backdraft

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Preventing Disorientation

• Enclosed Structure tactics/SOPs
• Thermal Imaging Cameras
• Bernard Easy Exits or other safety directional
  arrows
• Properly trained, positioned and staffed Rapid
  Intervention Team
• May Day and Abandon the Building training
  programs

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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.

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Special Thanks

• MIKE GAGLIANO is a Captain with the Seattle (WA)
  Fire Department, assigned to the Training
  Division, and a member of the departments
  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
  departments Operational Skills Enhancement
  Development Team.

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TRAIN AS YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON ITBECAUSE IT DOES!