The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
CAR FIRE QUESTION?
I've been flipping through utube videos all night, and i am amazed at how many times departments can be seen at a car fire and not using full structural ppe, to include scba. My question is are there really that many departments tha dont require this? Full ppe should be required to be worn at any car fire, do these people just want to die young? everyones thoughts
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Jenny Holderby on
-
We aren't making entry. Why do we need to take time to put on an air pack? You don't wear a life jacket to a wadding pool. Come on, it's just a little bit of smoke. What? You don't like smoke?
Gee I bet you want us to wear seatbelts in the apparatus too. :)
-
Permalink Reply by lutan1 on
-
Whilst I appreciate the tongue-in-cheek reply jenny has given, for the less informed there is some amazingly nasty stuff burning in cars, particulary the o-rings which from memory are viton? Someone else can probalby help out here with the specifics....
-
Permalink Reply by Chief 29 on
-
The only type of fire that we do not require SCBA on is brush fires. We do not require full structural gear unless you do not have wild land gear (provided to us by the forestry dept).
The products of combustion from a burning car are worse than what you would find in a fully involved living room. Do to all the different types of plastics,rubber, foams, etc. Not to mention you don't know what type of materials or products are in the vehicle at the time it caught fire. It is by no means a safe act to work a vehicle fire without a full compliment of PPE. The average seven to eight thousand dollars (on the low end) to suit a firefighter up with Gear and an SCBA does not do any good if its still on the truck or hanging in the engine room on the one thousand dollar rack that was purchased to hang it on. All that money is spent to provide you with what you need to do your job safely so gentlemen and ladies GEAR UP! If you wear it out that is not a bad thing. We will find a way to get another set for you.
Remember training gives knowledge, knowledge breeds safety!
Stay safe and have a happy holiday season.
-
Permalink Reply by Adam Box on
-
Well I would think that most departments require it. However you have some people who either get too excited and don't want to take the time to put it on. (like a seatbelt) Or you have the firefighters who have deemed themselves "too tough" "too old school" "too whatever" to put one on.
Recently one of our departments was caught on film with 2 officers operating at a car fire with no SCBA (and I mean operating. like right against the car) while other fully geared firefighters were standing back giving them room to work.
Messed up isn't it?
-
Permalink Reply by T.J. on
-
Air Packs NEED to be worn at all car fires, big or small......... Theres a lot of crap burning in those vehicles that you don't want in your lungs.
-
Permalink Reply by Jason Brooks on
-
LIke already said, the products burning in a car can be worse than a structure. In this day and age, not only do you have the fiberglass, plastics, foams rubbers, oils, anti-freeze and gasoline, and don't forget Sodium Azide. Sodium Azide is the chemical that fires the airbags in all or most cars. This is rocket fuel. And then, what about what the person is carrying in the car? Is this really any different between a car fire and a garage fire? You have no idea what is in there either. What if the car is a rolling meth lab? Excited? Why is anyone getting excited about a car fire? Don't get me wrong, a little fire is more than I see these days. If you or your guys are getting that excited about a car fire, time to get sat down and do some training and relaxing.
-
Permalink Reply by FIRE BEAR on
-
WELL FULL PPE SHOULD BE THE NORM WHO KNOWS WHAT KIND OF TOXINS IS IN THE CAR AS FAR AS YOU KNOW THERE MIGHT BE A DRUG LAB IN THE CAR BUT LIKE SHE SAID WHATS A LIL SMOKE ( that was supposed to be funny)
-
Permalink Reply by FETC on
-
The smoke at a car fire is just as bad or worse "chemical wise" then in a residential home.
Why expose your firefighters to all that bad smoke? Put your air pack on and wear it!
-
Permalink Reply by James Billings on
-
well this comes back to training, I was always told train as you will play, that being said , depending on whitch ever gets a hold of them first as being OSHA or NFPA, depending on the state, the department could suffer realy bad fines of even have the doors closed for such behaviour, people still havent learned about smoke they roll on a car fire thinking that its ok that your outside in fresh air, Wrong you still have the TOXIC smoke around them, the same smoke that can rapidly cause cancer, lung problems, and depending on what someone is cooking in the car (Meth) will kill you very fast and possibley remove your skin from body.
-
Permalink Reply by Tom on
-
Well I am so glad to see that people do not share Jenny's feelings on PPE. Lets put aside the effects of smoke. I have seen cut hands, firefighters burned, slip and falls. There is an endless list of possible injuries that can happen at any call. Why would you want to invite them by not wearing PPE. I do know a firefighter who was burned. It was not a structural fire. Outside fire. He had no SCBA on. He spent 31 days in a burn unit. The only areas of his body that were burned, was where he did not wear PPE. The covered areas, were 100% unharmed. I think that tells you something about PPE
-
Permalink Reply by Engineco913 on
-
Plain and simple reasonings.
The outer plastic ring that holds the headlight in (one) while burning produces more than the lethal dose of Phosgene gas. Carbon monoxide occurs. Burning rubbers and fuels can creates Phosgene AND Hydrogen Cyanide. The particulates (in heavy smoke) can latch onto the sidewalls of your lungs causing cysts and or tumors. (either benign or cancerous) In vegas, gambling is something where your a sure loser close to 50% of the time, and thats expected. In todays technological world with all the levels of protection we have, why roll the dice? Take the sure odds and wear full PPE and SCBA
-
Permalink Reply by BillySFCVFD on
-
Good point J about what's in the burning vehicle. Could be anything from food to deadly poison. I'll always pack to save my back. TCSS
© 2024 Created by Firefighter Nation WebChief.
Powered by
