mardi 21 janvier 2014

What Firefighter SCBA Means In Firefighting

By Judy Sullivan


There is no other risky occupation like firefighting and rescuing people from hostile environments particularly when the breathing air gets poisoned. In order to reduce exposure to this danger and execute their mission successfully, firefighters use special equipment, one of which is the self contained breathing apparatus, widely known as firefighter SCBA. The term self contained is used to signify that it independent from remote air supply.

A basic self contained breathing apparatus comes with three distinct parts. These are a high pressure air tank, a pressure regulator and an insulated connecting. Just like the helmet and the suit, this device is a matter of life and death to a firefighter. The modern gadgets have improvements including face mask and are generally much lighter to carry around. The stainless air tank and the rest of components are designed to allow for continuous air flow in every environment.

In Europe, any supplier of SCBA devices is required to comply with Personal Protective Equipment Directive (89/686/EEC) requirements which are basically the reinforcement of European Standard EN 137: 2006 requirements. This normally details for performance, markings and the information given to the users. If the equipment is fully compliant and reliably operates at the range of -30C to +60C with different and severely stimulated conditions gets certification of approval.

The suppliers in Canada and the United States too have similar requirements. They are guided by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA Standards 1981) that give their label as an indication of compliance. The National Institute for Occupation Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the authority that gives similar certification for compliance in the areas of biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological environment.

The firefighter SCBA normally put emphasis on flame and heat resistance which is more important that even the overall cost. The light weight materials used to manufacture these devices are normally exotic making the final cost very expensive. Personal Alert Safety System (PASS) or Automatic Distress Signal Unit (ADSU) is never missing components of the modern equipment. These are designed to switch on automatic after sensing no movement after 15 to 30 seconds. When activated, they release distinctive alarm signal that helps to locate the user. They can also be activated manually.

The success in use of this important equipment however depends on how often you conduct SCBA drills. No matter the level of training or experience, mastering these devices still requires continuous drill, effort and personal commitment. During drills, the starting point is usually the past fatalities or misuse in the device use or air management. These incidents are important information source that can help prevent similar situations in the future. Online information from trusted websites can also help in these drills.

The most important and common drills that should be considered include the SCBA check where the operational readiness is examined, the consumption drill targeting to determine the period a particular bottle will last for a given user and the last-breath drill that is more concerned with confidence and accuracy.

Firefighter SCBA can be the difference between life and death to firefighters. This means that the users must be well trained on operating them. In the practical sense, no amount of training can be considered enough, this therefore calls for continuous drilling. The sourcing of the equipment must also be done from certified suppliers.




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