Mayday Readiness and Response

Mayday Readiness and Response

Definition of a Mayday Situation

• A situation where a firefighter is unable to safely exit the hazard zone or an event that cannot be resolved by that individual within 30 seconds
• Any member working on duty can call a Mayday when the above conditions exist

The Rule of Mayday Readiness

• Every individual firefighter's responsibility to maintain a high level of Mayday readiness at all times
• Includes everyday preparation and prevention, as well as practiced ability to communicate and respond to a Mayday scenario

Definition of Mayday Readiness

• The ability to adopt an attitude and preparation to look at every incident from the standpoint of "what if I or another firefighter gets in trouble"
• Ability to "don, doff, and manipulate the SCBA in zero visibility while wearing firefighting gloves" (NFPA 1500 Standard)

Preventing Mayday Situations

• Factors that begin with:
  • Working within an Incident Command System/Risk Management System
  • Working within the Incident Action Plan
  • Always being accountable to someone within the incident command system
  • Maintaining individual and crew air management
  • Managing work cycles, monitoring distances traveled into buildings, layering of resources, and planning and acting out an exit plan

Task Level Mayday Readiness and Response

• Individual firefighter responsibilities:
  • Maintaining SCBA proficiency
  • Practicing individual air management
  • Using and caring for personal protective equipment
  • Portable radio proficiency and use
  • Practiced crew communications
  • Roving/replacement firefighter integration into crew
• Company Officer responsibilities:
  • Integrating daily SCBA checks into crew routine
  • Practicing crew communication in the hazard zone
  • Rover integration into crew
  • Maintaining knowledge of portable radios and practicing their use
  • Ensuring Company Officer responsibilities and expectations are clear to the entire crew
  • Practicing and maintaining crew integrity/accountability

Tactical Level Mayday Readiness and Response

• Battalion Chief and F.I.T. or I.S.O. tandem responsibilities:
  • Working within the overall incident action plan
  • Continually assessing the decision-making model within the sector operations
  • Managing tactical objectives for the sector through position and functions of crews working within
  • Sector-level air management
  • Accountability
  • Maintaining effective and appropriate communications with Command

Strategic Level Mayday Readiness and Response

• Incident Command Team responsibilities:
  • Continually reassessing the incident through the strategic decision-making model
  • Strategic-level communications
  • Continuing strategic-level continuity
  • Managing and supporting the Mayday at the strategic level
  • Ensuring overall incident actions match overall incident conditions
  • Maintaining overall incident organization

Dispatch Center Responsibilities

• Tactical radio operator responsibilities:
  • Initiating a Mayday response
  • Transmitting the emergency traffic tone
  • Voicing the Mayday message on the tactical channel
  • Repeating the Mayday message using the standard radio order model
  • Allowing the Incident Commander to speak to the Mayday initiator
  • Ensuring communications are necessary and not to fill dead radio time
  • Reminding the member to initiate their "GRABLIVES" procedures

Conclusion

• Every firefighter's responsibility to maintain preparedness for a Mayday situation
• The ultimate goal for any Mayday response is to successfully resolve the Mayday and not create any further Mayday situations
• Any Mayday situation elevates emotional levels and will test a command system

This quiz covers standard operating procedures for Mayday readiness and response, including definitions and protocols for emergency situations. Learn about the definition of a Mayday situation and the procedures for calling a Mayday.