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FirefightersConserve air and SCBA failure

In full protective gear and SCBA, with your vision obscured, you breathe in a controlled way to save air. When the SCBA fails, you call a MAYDAY on the radio, tell your partner, sound your PASS device, try to fix the problem and get out of the hazardous area through a restricted passage before the air runs out. It is station 4-4 of Ohio's Firefighter I practical exam (NFPA 1001 4.3.1, 4.2.3 and 4.2.4).

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Scenarios

  • The SCBA fails with a free flow of air.
  • The SCBA fails with no air flow.

The steps

  1. Put on the SCBA correctly.
  2. Wear the SCBA correctly.
  3. Say and show your controlled breathing techniques, such as staying calm, checking the seals for leaks, skip breathing or humming.
  4. When the SCBA fails, send a MAYDAY on the radio with an approved method (for example LUNAR: who, what, where), clear and complete, telling emergency traffic apart from routine traffic.
  5. Tell your partner about the SCBA problem.
  6. Activate the PASS device as another way to call for help.
  7. Try to fix the problem, if possible: hand to the face piece and regulator, check the bypass valve, use the bypass or cylinder valve to control the air flow, make sure the cylinder is on.
  8. Exit the simulated hazardous area through a restricted passage before the air runs out.
  9. Do not compromise your respiratory protection on purpose.
  10. No unsafe act during the evaluation.

To pass

  • All 10 steps.
  • The call for help uses the radio, the PASS device and other means if needed, with the word MAYDAY, "firefighter down" or the term set by the program.
  • The sheet warns that no emergency breathing technique is recognized by manufacturers, IFSTA, ANSI or any other regulating agency: they are only a last resort when a life is at risk.
  • The evaluator can stop the station at any time for an unsafe act.

Official source

State · Ohio EMS 5919

Firefighter I Practical Examination Skill Sheets (EMS 5919)

Ohio publishes every Firefighter I skill sheet free: the steps, the critical points and the minimum to pass.

Making Synapses is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by NFPA, IFSAC, Pro Board, OSHA or any state agency. NFPA 1001 and NFPA 1010 are trademarks of their respective owners and are named only to describe the exams.

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