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SCBA on the Roof?
Below are a series of photos courtesy "FirehouseGuy" from theWatchDesk.com from a daytime house fire last week in Maryland.
These photos are circulating around the Web on sites such as Firefighter Close Calls on the aspect of firefighter safety ... with the site noting "No one hurt but good pictures from the scene drawing "THINK" attention to PPE, SCBA and roof operations. While we love roof operations when needed, we are don't love un-needed exposure to the smoke -- today's smoke is some nasty crap.....we need to THINK. 1000 active Firefighters die each year to cancer."
What are your thoughts and your department's SOPs for firefighters operating on the roof of structure firefighters?
These photos are circulating around the Web on sites such as Firefighter Close Calls on the aspect of firefighter safety ... with the site noting "No one hurt but good pictures from the scene drawing "THINK" attention to PPE, SCBA and roof operations. While we love roof operations when needed, we are don't love un-needed exposure to the smoke -- today's smoke is some nasty crap.....we need to THINK. 1000 active Firefighters die each year to cancer."
What are your thoughts and your department's SOPs for firefighters operating on the roof of structure firefighters?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alex Devine on
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im sure somebody in here mentioned this, anybody notice the ladder!? Regarding the SCBA; anytime your in smoke be on air. otherwise have the pack on and mask on ready to hook up to air. very least have the mask around your neck depending on what SCBA manufacture you have. thats my 2 cents:)
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Permalink Reply by Rodney Brinson on
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That fire should have been fought from the driveway not on the roof. If you are up there you need scba.. My guess the flames were not venting before he went up..
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Permalink Reply by billy on
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what was he thinking in not wearing his SCBA. if i was his captain i would have told him to get that SCBA on before you leave the truck
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Than this person would complain when insurance refused to cover him because he wasn't in proper ppe.
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Permalink Reply by SHAWN FORINGER on
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YES ,HE NEED SCBA ON AND WHEN GOT BACK TO THE FIRE HOUSE I WOULD PROBLY SUSPEND HIM FOR A FEW DAYS.
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Permalink Reply by kevin on
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my department sop states that everyone has to wear a air pack if doing roof ops or going in side those pics we can learn from them those pics like dumb ass on the roof with no air pack
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Permalink Reply by Robert on
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You mention dumpsters, don't forget The landfill Fire's. You get a mix of all the bad with no good. We had a Landfill that burned for 5 days before we could get it under control. 5 Dept's and many man hours and 128,000 gallons of water later we had it under control with 2 more days of hot spotting. Needless to say in the summer heat it was mixed use of scba. But I always had mine on.
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Permalink Reply by Tiger Schmittendorf on
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I know I'm late to this discussion but I just can't resist because, as you'll read in a moment, this is a pet peeve of mine.
If when we go to the roof , we expect to be successful in doing the job they sent us up there for (venting the smoke and heat out of the occupied space), then we should plan to be successful AND WEAR ALL OF OUR APPROPRIATE PROTECTION.
If you don't expect to be successful - stay the hell off the roof - and off my fireground.
Stay safe. Train often.
PS - For the record: Wearing (posing) but not using your SCBA (the mask part goes on your face, not your hip) on the roof may look great on TV - but it looks like **** on a chest x-ray. It just doesn't cut it. In the midst of an involuntary sphincter reaction is not the time to realize your bottle is not on and neither is your mask. It only takes one gulp to lose your orientation and your footing. The falling-off-the-roof scene from Jackass typically ensues, except no one laughs at this one.
It's PPE. It's not a costume. Wear it appropriately.
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Permalink Reply by FF Nick on
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This goes back to my post about using pictures for training. "Don't be like these guys"
Like the other guys said, there's no reason for him to even be up there. From the 3rd and 4th pictures it looks like the roof has already self vented. Our dept is packed up when we're doing anything involved with suppression. Extinguishing, Venting, Overhaul. It's just not worth the risk, last I checked the air was free (the machine to provide it may be lol)
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Permalink Reply by Rob Tudisco on
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I have heard and have felt the balancing issue when on roofing operations, the weight of the SCBA does have an effect, with that said, i wonder are there any manufacturers out there that can address this issue by making an alternative breathing device?
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Permalink Reply by Shareef Abdu Nur on
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I won't comment on whether or not the "Roof guys" in the photo should have on SCBA because I was not there and I do not know the entire story, but I will say this. When I was first introduced into this wonderful career, I was trained with older "Truckmen" who were the definition of "Iron Lungs." They hardly ever wore SCBA and some of them had even been around since the times were SCBA was really first being introduced into the Fire Service. I learned more from these guys than I could ever hope to read out of a book or at a seminar. I was young, impressionable and these guys were not only real heroes, they were my heroes. They were smart, cool, tough, never got excited, always did the right thing, always knew the answer, and that's who I wanted to be. They would say, "Save your air until you need it kid..." or "Stop crying and just hold your breath.." Now, I am older, more mature, an Officer, and an instructor. I owe my life to those older guys for teaching me how to read a building, where to cut on a car, etc...But, those guys did not breathe the crap that we are faced with today on almost every call. They were pioneers and if not for them, many of those would not still be alive today. So, we owe it to them, not to make the same mistakes they made, but instead to teach and lead the younger generations by example. I'm not saying be a SCBA "Prude" and use it for everything, but be smart and don't be afraid to use it when needed. We have to do it for our younger members, our families, and each other. The proof is there. It is no longer a theory. We are killing ourselves senselessly for ego, bravado, machismo, and a false sense of pride and tradition. We need to embrace our old traditions and begin building new ones based on new knowledge and new training and new equipment. So, let's mask up and buckle in!
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Permalink Reply by Lt. Ballinger on
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What is worse is it looks like he doesn't even have a roofer up there to work off of. Our dept. SOG is if you are on the roof for ventilation then you have to have an air pack on your back and face piece on sucking air if there is conditions like shown and you are not to be on the roof without a roofer under you.
May be just the way the smoke appears but I don't see where the benefit out ways the risk. Looks to me that the roof has already vented itsself on the back side possibly and along the roofline. The end of the house is already burned through. Punch a hole in the front room inside the front door to make a stand and push it out the end of the building. Not going to cause any more damage than the fire did.
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