Gorham Fire Department

Gorham Fire Department	Standard Operating Procedure #17	Self -Contained Breathing Apparatus
To All Fire Department Members	Approved by SOP Committee: November 16, 1999	Approved by Officers: December 14, 1999
Approved by Town Manager:	Revised:	Accepted by Members: February 1, 2000

Purpose:

To establish a guideline to indicate the proper maintenance, training, use, and cleaning of self-contained breathing apparatus in order to ensure the safety of the fire department personnel.

Responsibility:

It is the responsibility of the Chief to assure that the SCBA’s are kept in working order and that all member of the fire department are trained in accordance with the Standard Operating Produces.

Inspection and Records:

An assigned person shall make monthly inspections on all SCBA in use by the Gorham Fire Department. The inspections shall consist of a checking the entire unit for deteriorated components, air tightness of cylinders, valves, gauge comparison, reducing valve, and bypass valve operation, regulator, exhalation valve and low air alarm. The face piece and harness shall also be visual inspected. The entire SCBA will be cleaned, dried if necessary. The P.A.S.S. device shall be tested and attached to each of the SCBA. The hydro test dates will be checked on each cylinder and sent to be hydro tested if needed. Records shall be kept on each of the inspection. If there is any malfunction found the SCBA shall be taken out of service until it is repaired.

Inspections shall be made before and after each use. This inspection shall consist of a visual check of the face piece, harness, and cylinder pressure. The user shall also check for leaks, gauge comparison, proper fit, and the air bottle is fully charged. If there is any malfunction found the SCBA, it shall be taken out of service until it is repaired. Inspection by another firefighter shall be made before entering a hazardous area, this will be known as a "Buddy Check."

A qualified person shall conduct annual inspection and service of SCBA; this inspected shall be preformed according to manufactures recommendations.

Maintenance:

SCBA’s that need maintenance work done to them; will be done by trained maintenance personnel only. If repair work is needed on a SCBA it shall be taken out of service, tagged with a note describing the problem, and reported to the officer in charge. O-rings are the only part that can be replaced by a firefighter; at no time shall any firefighter open the regulator to do repairs.

Training:

New Hampshire SCBA instructors shall train firefighters, the firefighter shall pass all requirements set forth by New Hampshire Fire Standards and Training and certificate be on file with the Gorham Fire Department before using the SCBA in hazardous areas.

The firefighter shall demonstrate competence in the proper donning and doffing procedures, identifying hazardous areas, and knowledge of equipment at least once a year. It will be the responsibility of the training committee to set up two SCBA training programs a year.

It is recommended that at least one firefighters entering a hazardous area be firefighter I or firefighter level I.

Emergency Scene Use:

SCBA will be used by all firefighter who are exposed to respiratory hazards or be exposed to such hazards without warning. The hazard shall include car fires, dumpster fires, interior structure fires, outside area where there is a possibility to encounter heat and/or smoke, liquid propane leaks, chemical contaminated areas, oxygen deficient areas, and any other hazardous atmosphere.

Firefighters shall only enter hazardous areas when there are at least four firefighters on the scene and incident command is in place.

When using a SCBA, firefighter shall use the "buddy check," to inspect SCBA and personal protective equipment, be monitored for indications of fatigue, work with a minimum of one other firefighter that is in constant communication with each other, and have at least one portable radio between the team.

One firefighter with a radio shall be assigned to remain outside the point of entry, maintaining constant awareness of the number, identities, location, function, and time of entry, of the firefighters inside.

Two firefighters with SCBA’s shall be "standing by," available for rescue, this is also known as a Rapid Intervention Crew.

When the evacuation signal is sounded (three long blasts of an air horn, pause then repeated until everyone is accountable), everyone inside the hazardous area will immediately withdrawal from the building and report to staging for roll call.

Face Piece Seal:

Eyeglass frames, facial hair, and beards that interfere with the seal of the face piece shall be prohibited. This mean there shall be skin contact around the whole seal.

Annual fit test program shall be conducted on each firefighter qualified to wear a SCBA.

Personal Protective Equipment:

Personal protective equipment shall be worn in accordance to Standard Operating Procedure #1.

The P.A.S.S. device shall also be worn and activated.

Nomex hood shall be worn over the face piece harness.

Two Bottle Rule:

Firefighter that use two air bottles shall report to rehab or ambulance crew to have vitals checked. This will allow the firefighter time to recover, rehydrate, and be monitor for signs of fatigue. If the incident should continue, rehab shall be needed between each bottle after the initial two bottles.

Buddy Breathing:

At no time shall the integrity of the SCBA be breached.

Buddy breathing take constant training to work effectively.

Point of no Return:

Firefighters shall only go to a point that when the low air alarm activates, they will have enough time to make a safe exit. This is approximately a 5-minute escape time.

Low Air Alarm:

When the low air alarm is activated for any reason, all firefighter on the team will exit the hazardous area.

Cascade System:

Only trained firefighter shall fill air bottles form the cascade system.

The cascade system shall only be used at incidents that will deplete the supply of air bottles.

Cleaning and Returning to Service:

Return all straps to the loosest position.

Clean harness, airlines, and regulator of dirt and debris, using air hose (wear safety goggles), brush, or wash with warm water and mild detergent, than rinse with warm water. Do not wash with Acetone, Alcohol, White Spirit, or Trichloroethylene.

Clean face piece with 10:1 warm water, bleach solution, rinse with warm water, then spray with disinfectant, allow setting for 10 minutes, and then rinsing with warm water.

Replace air cylinder with full air cylinder, the pressure shall be between 2000 psi and 2216 psi.

The SCBA need to be fully dried before they are returned to service.

Conclusion:

It is for the safety of ever firefighter to keep the Self Contained Breathing Apparatus in proper condition. Regular inspections, maintenance, and training of the SCBA’s can accomplish the level of safety needed during an emergency. It is essential to use the SCBA’s whenever the situation dictates and to follow this standard operating procedure. Following this standard operating procedure will help in preventing injuries that can occur from smoke and heat that can damage your lungs. These injuries can have an acute or chronic, effect on your health. The chronic effects may not be noticed for years. Accountability will also be assured at incidents if this standard operating procedure is followed.