Rules of Air Management 2015

Snohomish County Fire Chiefs Air Management (ROAM) Guideline Document (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 (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 (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 (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 (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:  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.

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. DON’T BE A NIOSH REPORT!