MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY!

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MAYDAY,MAYDAY,MAYDAY!
BY A/C KEN WHITMORE Adapted from the NFA DVD
Calling the Mayday Taught by the Southwest WA
FOOLS
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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

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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.
• Personnels protective equipment is not
  performing as designed.

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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!!!

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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
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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 cant believe this is happening)
• Fear of retribution (ridicule)
• Lack of knowledge (training, policies)

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THE PROBLEMS WITH MAYDAY IN THE FIRE SERVICE

• There are very few Mayday standards
• There is very little Mayday training being done
• There arent clear Mayday parameters
• We do not have enough Recognition Primed
  Decision making experience (RPD)

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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

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• 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???????

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DONT BE A STATISTIC,
CALL EARLY
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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!!

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HOW MANY RITS HAVE ANY REAL EXPERIENCE?

• Is that a problem?

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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!

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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)

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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.

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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?

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Recognition Primed Decision MakingRPD

• Gary Klein Ph.D.
• Military/Fire Service
• Experience vs. Inexperience
• Slides in your slide tray
• Repetition

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CALLING A MAYDAY

• BASIC INFORMATION
• STRUCTURED FORMAT
• CONTACT COMMAND
• L.U.N.E.
• Location
• Unit
• Name
• Emergency

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AFTER THE MAYDAY

• You called a MAYDAY Now what?
• GRAB LIVES
• G GAUGE (CHECK AIR)
• R RADIO (MAYDAY)
• A ACTIVATE (PASS)
• B BREATHING (CONTROL)
• L LOW (STAY LOW)
• I ILLUMINATE (FLASHLIGHT)
• V VOLUME (MAKE NOISE)
• E EXIT (FIND A WAY OUT)
• S SHIELD AIRWAY (HOOD OR GLOVE)

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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
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PRACTICE TIME

• Location
• Unit
• Name
• Emergency
• Command from Search Team 2
• MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY!
• Second Floor!
• Search Team 2!
• Whitmore!
• Ceiling collapse Ive lost my partner!