6-43 SCBA air management and work cycles
Background
Air management is an individual’s awareness of their personal air consumption while wearing respiratory protection equipment in a controlled area.
Work cycles can rotate personnel through various tasks to ensure an adequate air supply when in an IDLH (immediately dangerous to life and health) atmosphere.
Concerns/hazards
Interior crews working in an IDLH atmosphere until their low-air alarm activates reduce their time allotment for emergency escape, putting themselves and others at increased risk.
Actions for employers
Employers should:
- train incident commanders and all firefighters on factors affecting air supply duration
- ensure firefighters are aware of their individual air consumption rates in various working conditions
- develop and implement procedures for work cycles
Air consumption rate
The air consumption rate will be different for each individual. Some factors include:
- physical fitness and condition
- size and weight
- work being performed
- environment where the work is being performed
- other stressors (such as people trapped, difficult access or outside temperatures)
- type of protective clothing used
- training
Air supply duration
In addition to individual air consumption rates, consider the following when determining air supply duration:
- operational duration of air filters and cartridges
- particulate buildup on air filters and cartridges
- travel distance and time to the IDLH atmosphere
- amount of air when entering the IDLH atmosphere
- travel distance and time in the IDLH atmosphere
- coordination of team activities in the IDLH atmosphere
- travel distance and time to a safe zone after working in the IDLH atmosphere
- time to complete field decontamination
Air supply duration should be considered at a strategic, tactical and task level.
Work cycles
Consider the following information when developing procedures for work cycles.
One example of a work cycle rotation is as follows:
- Within a sector, assign three crews per task. One crew is deployed, the second is standing by and ready for assignment, and the third is available at sector rehab.
- Crews rotate through these three positions within their sector, until two cylinders are depleted.
- All three crews are then assigned to incident rehab.
During operations where tasks cannot be interrupted, such as fire attack, there are advantages for implementing a work cycle while in a controlled area to meet the needs of performing tasks in an IDLH atmosphere and maintaining firefighter safety.
Some advantages include:
- having personnel ready for immediate deployment to replace crews
- having personnel provide immediate resources for a mayday or RIT
- reduced time travelling from sector to sector
Challenges of a work cycle system include:
- getting adequate personnel in place to support the work cycle
- setting up air supply
- accountability
Applicable regulations and acts
Read:
- Occupational Health and Safety Act
- clause 25(2)(a) for providing information, instruction and supervision to a worker
- clause 25(2)(d) for making workers aware of hazards
- clause 25(2)(h) for taking every precaution reasonable in the circumstances to protect workers
Applicable standards
NFPA 1404 Standard for Fire Service Respiratory Protection Training
Related
Read a scientific paper about air management and physiological responses during simulated firefighting tasks in a high-rise structure, by Williams-Bell, F.M., et al., Applied Ergonomics (2009)