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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on October 11, 2011 at 10:02am

Since all such policies etc are sitting at work, to surmise, quite basically, you wear your SCBA until the atmosphere is deemed safe. We have gas meters to test O2, CO, H2S, and LEL, when levels are in normal range, then SCBAs would be relaxed.

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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on October 11, 2011 at 8:45pm

We have a SOG that air monitoring is required after the fire is knocked down prior to any interior entry without SCBA.   We currently have air monitors on our truck company and one of our quints, with new air monitors on the way for all front-line engines and the other quint.

 

No one - firefighters engaged in overhaul, investigators, residents, or anyone else - who is not in SCBA is allowed to enter a post-fire building until air monitoring is complete.

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Permalink Reply by Chris Adams on October 11, 2011 at 8:54pm

What are the levels that are needed to be before your are not required to wear a SCBA for your dept.

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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on October 11, 2011 at 11:14pm

For most multi-gas meters the limits for the gases detected are programmed in. So if a level is higher than the exposure limits the unit will alarm. So if the CO is to the level to alarm, then the SCBAs stay on and you keep venting, keep doing so until the levels are less than the set point.

 

For instance our CO level is set for 35 ppm. While one can be exposed to such a CO level for a short time without an SCBA, that is where the alarm is set. So if the alarm goes off, you keep the SCBA on, at least for us.

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