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
I am with you on this one. It is not like the dept charges there FF's each time the turn on a scba bottle. Good Lord ppl come on and be safe Lets see if we (ppl of FFN) can reduce the number of LODD in 2009 by at least 1 person.
Unfortunately there is no law against stupidity. The Darwin awards are always looking for a few stupid winners. Hopefully OSHA will see their Utube performance and drop in on them with a friendly visit. Ignorance is bliss!!!
Kenny people are idiots! Car fires are bad news. They are unpredictable (like all fires) and the smoke is deadly. Just the smell from a distance burns your nose. Yes full ppe is a must on car fires.
If we arrive to an involved car, THERE IS NO RUSH. The things not going to drive away on you?? Pump operator runs a line of 38mm, Crew puts on BA and then we get to work. Why breath in that crap? Its nasty stuff. The other night I was on the branch at a car fire, a late model subaru forester. The doors were some sort of magnesium alloy, and it was spitting molten bits every where. Without structural gear on, BA and Face mask down, how do you avoid being burnt?
Our department requires full PPE including SCBA on all vehicle fires, and even if they didnt I know what nasty things vehicles are made of these days. All the plastics, wireing, paint and not to mention all the fluids that keep it moving. A few seconds to put on a pack to me is well worth it.
I remember being a fresh out of the womb probie, and the smokies around me saying "we didnt need those air packs for car fires". "It only wasted the bottles for REAL fires." kinda funny cause now its a rule we follow. how things change. stay safe all
beech