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When Do You Go On Air? Yard Breathng
Its been along time since I masked up. I keep seeing comments about yard breathing. I remember turning on the bottles in the engine, grabbing a line and going in. (yes we did check doors and windows and signs for backdrafts)
Is the new school to turn on the air at the door? And if you have a 30 min bottle, how long to you plan on being inside?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Gregory Borg on
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Just Plain, I don't start the air until the condition dictate. If that is at the front door OK, it might not be until you get to the back of the place or upstairs. Obviously in a multi story building I wait until I reach the fire floor or apartment. Save the air and use it for fire attack or rescue.
I beleive the term "yard breathers" referes to people that do not go into the fire but stand around in the yard and do nothing, just waisting space.
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Permalink Reply by Derek R. on
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Heard an interesting comment on a video about air management having to do with the air in your tank is your measurement of your life expectancy. If your pack usually averages about 15 working minutes, then that's how long you are expected to live. Just think, that if you are in an IDLH area and you run out of air, then it's either suffocate with your mask on, or suffocate with your mask off. Either way, I save my air until I need it. If I'm in smoke, I'm on air.
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Permalink Reply by James Burton (Jamie) on
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Our policy is very similar as Chief Mike's, we pack up in the engine and go on air once at the door, we have 60min Scotts, so they last a bit even when we are working hard. Our Department is very Air Management conscious, we stay on air in even light smoke environments, this includes overhaul, but sometimes we can change over to Air Purifying Respirator's, once the conditions are stable enough.
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Permalink Reply by Michael McCarthy on
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I agree with Derek. We mask up when you are entering a hazardous atmosphjere, until that point, its off air. If you are outside and entering a house where the fire is on the second floor then we mask up at the base of the stairs. It should take you less than 7 seconds to mask up if you are proficient at it. The key to going on air is the atmosphere you are either in or the atmosphjere you anticipate being in.
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Permalink Reply by Just Plain Craig Moyer on
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Told you it was a long time ago.......
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Permalink Reply by Vic Silverfish on
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I will point out that not everyone uses Scott bottles that let you put the mask on without connecting to your tank. Our sets (Sabre) and SOPs require the 2ndary regulator to stay connected to the mask, so "masking up" means taking off your helmet and takes longer than clicking in the 2ndary regulator on a Scott pack.
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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That sounds like a little too late - if you cough, you've probably been exposed to an IDLH atmosphere. It might not kill you, but it's not the best way to protect your health, especially in the long term.
My personal rule is that if it's an obvious working fire or smoke condition in a SFD, then mask up outside the structure immediately prior to entry.
If it's a MFD or other multistory, mask up one floor below detectable smoke or fire.
If it's a big box or other single-story commercial, when and where to mask up is more situational, but if in doubt, mask prior to entry.
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The trade off is that you are rebreathing some of your own carbon dioxide if you're wearing the mask and not on air.
That will degrade your performance and potentially increase your air consumption rate once you do go on air.
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If you're going on air prior to immediate entry into the IDLH atmosphere or structure, you're wasting air, regardless of cylinder capacity.
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You know what mate, this is my Departments SOG....
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Permalink Reply by Mark Oomkes on
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30 years ago isn't that far off from 22 to be exact.
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Can you clarify this a tad Ben?
I think I understand what you're saying, but I'm not 100% sure.
As for those who mask up in the truck but don't go on air, do you not think there is any chance that you get so tunnel-visioned that you don't perform your own size-up when arriving on scene? That you may miss something that might be really important to your survival?
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