Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) Types and Uses Firefighter I

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Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Respiratory Hazards Oxygen Deficient Atmospheres – Occur when the fire consumes the oxygen in a compartment fire – Can occur in Below-grade confined spaces Chemical storage tanks Grain bins and silos Rooms protected by total flooding extinguishing systems 3

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Respiratory Hazards (continued) Oxygen Deficient Atmospheres (continued) Contain less than 19.5% oxygen (OSHA and NFPA) When the oxygen level in an atmosphere reaches – 18% – the body will adjust by increasing its respiratory rate (breathing more rapidly) – 17% – impairment of muscular coordination – 12% – dizziness, headache, tiring rapidly – 9% – unconsciousness – 6% – death within a short period of time from heart and respiratory failure 4

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Respiratory Hazards (continued) Oxygen Deficient Atmospheres (continued) – Departments that are equipped to monitor atmospheres should do so – Departments should remind firefighters to wear SCBA whenever they are unsure of the oxygen level of the atmosphere in which they are working 5

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Respiratory Hazards (continued) Elevated Temperatures – Can cause severe damage to a firefighter’s respiratory tract by causing Burns Decreased blood pressure Circulatory system failure Example – pulmonary edema is an accumulation of fluids in the lungs which causes death through asphyxiation 6

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Respiratory Hazards (continued) Elevated Temperatures (continued) – The tissue damage caused by inhaling superheated gases cannot be reversed immediately by just breathing fresh cool air – Oxygen therapy and other prompt medical treatment are needed 7

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Respiratory Hazards (continued) Smoke – Smoke typical in a compartment fire includes a mixture of the following Oxygen Nitrogen Carbon monoxide Carbon dioxide Soot (carbon particles) 8

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Respiratory Hazards (continued) Smoke (continued) – Suspended smoke particles Often contain aldehydes and organic acids that are formed from carbon Some may only be irritating to the respiratory tract, others may have deadly affects – The size of the suspended particles determines how deep into the lungs they travel – They may burn the respiratory tract as well 9

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Respiratory Hazards (continued) Toxic Atmospheres Associated with Fire – Gases commonly found in fire Carbon monoxide – Causes most fire deaths – A product of incomplete combustion – Combines with blood hemoglobin 200 times more readily than does oxygen – Excludes oxygen from the blood, causing victims to experience hypoxia of the brain and body that is followed by death 10

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Respiratory Hazards (continued) Toxic Atmospheres Associated with Fire – Gases commonly found in fire (continued) Carbon dioxide is the end product of complete combustion Hydrogen chloride irritates eyes and the respiratory tract Hydrogen cyanide is a chemical asphyxiate Nitrogen dioxide irritates the nose and the throat Phosgene forms hydrochloric acid in the lungs due to moisture 11

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Respiratory Hazards (continued) Toxic Atmospheres Associated with Fire (continued) – All of the gases listed above can be IDLH, producing immediate, irreversible, debilitating effects on a firefighter’s health – This depends upon how many parts per million (ppm) there are of the gas compared to the volume of air ppm 12

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Respiratory Hazards (continued) Toxic Atmospheres Not Associated with Fire Usually associated with industrial processes that use dangerous chemicals Some of these chemicals include – Ammonia – irritates the respiratory tract and eyes – Sulfur Dioxide » Irritates the respiratory tract and eyes » Reacts with moisture from the lungs to form sulfuric acid – Chlorine » Used to manufacture plastic, rubber compounds, and synthetic textiles » Used to treat water 13

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Respiratory Hazards (continued) Transportation leaks can occur from traffic accidents, train derailments, etc. (i.e. natural gas leaks, chemical leaks) The Department of Transportation (DOT) defines hazardous materials as – “Any substance which may pose unreasonable risk to health and safety of operating or emergency personnel, the public, and/or the environment if it is not properly controlled during handling, storage, manufacture, processing, packaging, use, disposal, or transportation” – May include biologically hazardous materials such as etiologic agents which are living microorganisms that can cause human disease 14

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Types of SCBA Open-Circuit SCBA – Discharges the wearer’s air directly into the atmosphere – Four basic components Backpack harness assembly Air cylinder Regulator assembly Facepiece assembly 15

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Types of SCBA (continued) Air Cylinder – Includes the cylinder, cylinder valve, main pressure gauge, and in some units the integrated Personal Alert Safety System (PASS) alarm – Must be strong enough to contain the pressure – on some units as high as 4,500 psi – 30-minute cylinders hold 2216 psi – A cylinder must be at least 90% full (2000 psi) before donning it at an emergency scene 16

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Types of SCBA (continued) Regulator Assembly – Includes a high pressure hose, pressure reducing device, low pressure regulator, and bypass valve – Reduces pressure to slightly above the atmospheric pressure for use by the wearer – There is also a remote gauge positioned for the wearer to see how much air remains – The cylinder gauge and the main gauge must read within 100 psi of each other, or be the same if the gauges read in larger increments 17

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Types of SCBA (continued) Facepiece Assembly – Includes a facepiece lens and exhalation valve, and on some units a low pressure breathing tube, voice amplifier, head harness, or helmet mounting bracket – External fogging of the facepiece can be prevented or eliminated by the use of a nose cup, or by applying an anti-fogging chemical to the interior of the facepiece 18

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Types of SCBA (continued) Open-Circuit SCBA (continued) Open-Circuit Airline Equipment – Used when first responders may be forced to remain in a contaminated atmosphere for extended periods of time – Supply hoses are used from a large supply source and run directly to the open-circuit SCBA » These units are often called Supplied Air Respirators (SARs) – Emergency Breathing Support Systems (EBSS) use a 5-10 minute emergency egress cylinder – Airline systems allow emergency service personnel to operate as far as 300 feet from their supply source 19

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Types of SCBA (continued) Closed-Circuit Breathing Apparatus – Systems in which the wearer’s exhalation is recycled and rebreathed after the carbon dioxide has been removed and replaced with oxygen – Used for long-duration operations – Restore oxygen to the system by the use of Compressed oxygen Chemical oxygen Liquid oxygen 20

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Safety Features and Functions of the Open-Circuit SCBA Personal Alert Safety System (PASS) alarm – Used to find lost, disoriented, or incapacitated firefighters Many newer generation SCBA – Have the PASS alarm integrated into the air supply system – Activate when the main air valve is opened Detachable PASS alarms – Are worn on the SCBA harness or on the turnout coat – Must be manually turned on with a switch 21

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Safety Features and Functions of the Open-Circuit SCBA (continued) PASS alarm (continued) – Sometimes referred to as a Personal Alert Device (PAD) – Both types of units will automatically sound an alarm if the firefighter wearing the unit remains motionless for approximately 30 seconds – Both types of units can be activated manually by the wearer if he or she is conscious and senses the need for assistance – Rescuers follow the sound of the alarm to find the firefighter that is in need 22

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Safety Features and Functions of the Open-Circuit SCBA (continued) Bypass valve – controls the direct airflow from the cylinder in the event of a regulator malfunction Low pressure alarm – designed to activate when the cylinder pressure drops below ¼ of its rated capacity (between 500 and 600 psi) Facepiece seal – designed to maintain positive air pressure within the facepiece to prevent toxic smoke and gases from being inhaled by the wearer 23

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Safety Features and Functions of the Open-Circuit SCBA (continued) Remote pressure gauge – shows the wearer what air pressure remains in the cylinder – The remote pressure gauge should read within 100 psi of the main gauge if the increments are in psi – If the measurements are shown as percentages or fractions, the gauges should read the same 24

Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Resources , Essentials of Firefighting (5 th Edition), International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), , Firefighter's Handbook: Firefighter I and Firefighter II (1 st Edition), Delmar Cengage Learning,