Bernalillo County Fire & Rescue Air Management PDF

Bernalillo County Fire & Rescue STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINES Effective Date: May 2024 Revised/Reviewed Date: 6.2 Air Management Purpose: This standard operating guideline (SOG)...

Bernalillo County Fire & Rescue STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINES Effective Date: May 2024 Revised/Reviewed Date: 6.2 Air Management Purpose: This standard operating guideline (SOG) provides definitions, general information, and strategies to ensure safe air management. This covers use while operating in and around a Hazard Zone/hazardous atmosphere requiring the use of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).. Scope: This SOG applies to all members at an emergency incident or training exercise who are actively participating in operations within or near a Hazard Zone or hazardous atmosphere requiring the use of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). It is critical to understand that the last 33% of the air supply in an SCBA is the emergency reserve. The initial 66% of the air supply is for working and exiting. This includes gaining access, working towards the tactical objectives, and leaving the Hazard Zone, otherwise known as a “round trip ticket.” If an emergency situation is encountered, the emergency reserve (remaining 33%) air supply will be used to exit or survive until assistance can arrive. Each individual should be cognizant of their air consumption in order to follow this rule of air management safely 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 or in the Hazard Zone must continually check their heads-up display (HUD) or pressure gauge. This ensures the firefighter knows how much air they have left in their cylinder. The Rule of Air Management (ROAM)—3 key issues: Know how much air you have used; manage the amount of air you have left in your cylinder; and exit the Hazard Zone before your SCBA low air alarm and other alerts activate. Hazardous Atmosphere—Any atmosphere that is oxygen deficient or that contains a toxic and/or disease-producing contaminant. These atmospheres can be immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH). This can also be known as the Hazard Zone. IDLH—Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health. General Guidelines: A. Air Management Standard It is the expectation that all members utilizing self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) will: - Complete a READY Check—Each member of a team must check with his/her partner(s) to ensure the READY check has been completed prior to entry into the IDLH environment. R=Radio. Have one. Is it on and tuned to the right channel? E=Equipment. Have the right equipment for the given assignment. A=Air: No member can enter the Hazard Zone with less than 4050. D=Duties. The “what, when, where, and how” of your assignment. Know what you and your team are assigned to do. Y=Yes: Yes, to all the above questions. The ability to monitor one’s air supply during firefighting operations is a learned skill and must become muscle memory. Company officers must reinforce the need to adhere to standardized work cycles with their crews. The incident commander and the D/G Supervisor should ensure confidence that the work will continue. Especially as relieved crews are recycling and returning to on-deck in their D/G. By following the Rule of Air Management, no one should leave the Hazard Zone with their low air alarm activated. If the low air alarm sounds, the crew needs to communicate Priority Traffic to the IC or D/G Supervisor and provide a CAN report. When the first member of the company or crew gets a 50% HUD light activation (two flashing amber lights), the member must notify their supervisor. If a firefighter works into their reserve air and their low air alarm begins to activate in the Hazard Zone, the officer/team leader must alert their D/G Supervisor over the radio. The company officer/team leader communicates their unit ID, then declares Priority Traffic before stating that a team member’s low air alarm is active, the crew’s location, and an estimation of how close they are to the exit. Example “E 33 Priority Traffic: We have FF Smith with a low-air alarm active. We are 75 feet into the building. We will advise when we exit.” Is the fire under control? Primary All clear? Need a crew to assume your position?” This notifies everyone, including the On Deck company, that someone is low on air. B. How Air Management Works Air management is each firefighter’s responsibility and is closely related to situational awareness. Firefighters must make sure that they have a full cylinder before they enter the hazardous atmosphere or Hazard Zone. Once inside the hazardous atmosphere or Hazard Zone, firefighters must look at HUD and pressure gauge 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. This ensures the company or crew is out of the Hazard Zone before the low air alarm activates. Many factors affect the duration of the company’s air supply, such as fire conditions, work rates, aerobic fitness of company members, and stress. Team members must notify their supervisor when their first team member’s 50% HUD light is activated. This allows the supervisor to be informed of the team’s air situation and to preplan their NEEDs when providing a CAN to IC or D/G supervisor. All firefighters are expected to be out of the Hazard Zone before their low air alarm begins to activate. If the firefighter exits the Hazard Zone prior to when his/her low air alarm activates, he/she may replace the SCBA bottle and return to the Hazard Zone. This creates a two-cylinder rotation for firefighters. After the second round of cylinders, the firefighter MUST go to rehab. If members hear an active low air alarm in the Hazard Zone, and there is no immediate radio report from the team who is alarming, this shall be treated with the same urgency as a Mayday. Specific procedures: Strategic Level Air Management: Operating in an offensive strategy is the most dangerous position for firefighters. Air management must be a major factor in that assessment. The ability of firefighters to exit the hazard zone with a reserve of 33% air is a requirement. If crews are unable to complete their assigned task with that air supply intact, it is necessary for the incident commander to provide an adequate number of companies to replace those initial working crews or change the strategy to defensive. The strategic level of air management should be managed similarly to the accountability of all members operating in the hazard zone. Division Supervisor Level Air Management: It is necessary for division supervisors to perform their own hazard assessment and apply the standard decision‐making model within their portion of the overall incident. The division supervisor must define where the crews will operate in the building and what tasks need to be completed. These actions have to be balanced with air management and a well-communicated exit plan. Division Supervisors must provide reports to command regarding resources needed to provide uninterrupted work cycles within the division. It is important to have ample crews to provide immediate relief to crews that have diminished their air supply. This requires maintaining adequate “on‐deck” resources. Adequate “on‐deck” resources provide crews to cycle into the hazard zone as well as crews that are ready to react to a “Mayday.” Task Level Air Management: It is the responsibility of the individual firefighter to monitor his/her air supply and to communicate this with the Company Officer. The individual firefighters are responsible for maintaining awareness of the plan and how to execute the plan. The plan defines how the crew is going to leave their area of operation (hazard zone). The best plan includes leaving the hazard zone following the hose line out that you came in on. This includes normal operations as well as emergency situations. The plan should include the entrance taken into the building, the dedicated hose line, knowledge of other means of egress within the division, and other crews operating in the division. This plan also includes the amount of air it takes to leave the hazard zone before the low air alarm sounds. References: NFPA 1404 Air Management NFPA 1981: Standard on Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus for Emergency Services. Blue Card