The best training come from experience. Experiences in the fire service need to be shared from one fireman to another. The only thing better than receiving this shared knowledge is to experience the basis for it first hand. As my department’s current training officer, I’m responsible for making sure that everyone gets the appropriate training they need. In the case of this evening, that’d be some SCBA familiarization and “confidence” training. It is rare in the academies that my department’s personnel go to, to experience a sucking face mask from running out of air, let alone what it’s like for the vibralert to go off. I do not condone spending so much time in an IDLH environment that you run out of air, but you need to know what it’s like so you can train on what your actions will be before you run out.
This evening I took 2 of our younger guys who know the basics about the air packs, but don’t have any real experience in their use, and I got them just that… some experience. We started off with “2-minute” drills where they are supposed to put on all their gear (and SCBA) properly in 2 minutes or less. These drills help get the mind set of putting the gear on fast, and right the first time. Unfortunately, even though they both were familiar with their gear, they couldn’t hit the 2 minute benchmark. Since they were geared up, I figured now would be a good time for them to gain experience using the SCBA while “in motion”. We have a fairly sizeable parking lot here, so I was able to set them out (as a team) and walk/jog around the lot. They had a few questions, like how to hook up the EBBS and how that part of the system worked. So, myself and the Lieutenant showed them and explained it to them. Since the question was raised, they got to see what it was like to “share” a bottle. They were impressed by the amount of time they were able to continue jogging and still have air.
Learning about the EBBS
They were both eager to learn and were actually disappointed when the bottle went dry and they had to stop. They both have potential. They just need to stay focused. Now that all the equipment has been placed back in service, and we haven’t had a run since early this afternoon when our part-time medic crew was on, it’s time to wind down so I can get ready for a long day ahead of me, 24 more hours (7am – 7am) of providing Fire and Rescue (EMS) services to the community.
The Virginia Department of Fire Programs has a great training tool in the form of a maze. It is located inside an old box style moving trailer and has approximately 146′ of tunnel in it. It includes obstacles to climb, crawl under, over, diminished clearance, stairs, hose to follow, room for searching and securing utilities. I have used it many times. It was built by the City of Fairfax Firefighters and the State funds an uses it. I am sure they have plans and a similar one could be built in a building. This one is great because it can be hauled from department to department. One of the area offices can be contacted at 540-672-1277. Tell them you are looking for information on the maze trailer, such as plans. Additionally, I think the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue has a very good maze at their academy as does the Montgomery County Maryland Fire and Rescue Academy. Sorry…dont have their numbers.
I’m not familiar with that particular trailer, however our county does have one available for us to use. I wanted to get them comfortable with wearing the SCBA and knowing in a familiar environment what happens when the low air alarm goes off. I know from personal experience, if you don’t know what it’s like it will scare the hell out of you when you’re on a call and it happens. Thanks for letting me know about the trailer, I’ll have to look into it.
Troubleshooting potential SCBA problems in the heat and smoke under the stress of rescuing one of your fellow firefighters can be an insanely daunting task. Also, you should check certain SCBA parts before others. For example, during training, we often find the first thing RIT firefighters want to check for is the cylinder’s air pressure, but that doesn’t much matter if the firefighter’s face piece is missing. To solve this problem, RIT firefighters should follow this step-by-step troubleshooting guide.