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SCBA Cylinder Failure- PLEASE READ!
Got this in an email tonight....
The attached pictures are the result of an incident which happened on 6th of April 2008 at 2130 hrs in a Fire Station in Malaysia.
Basically what happened is:
1. Firefighter took one Self Contained Breathing Apparatus, (SCBA) cylinder from SCBA store to replace one of the SCBA cylinders from a vehicle as the earlier testing showed that the air content was not sufficient for operation.
2. While one Firefighter dismantled the unserviceable SCBA, another Firefighter checked the new cylinder which included testing the cylinder’s hand wheel and to clean the connection area from dust.
3. The hand wheel was snapped or broken, as a result the cylinder was dropped down vertically on impact with the ground it released the pressure.
4. Everybody ran away for protection as the cylinder was flying around.
5. The cylinder hit an ambulance the ceiling and a locker.
This is a great example to help illustrate proper cylinder handling procedures. It also shows that it is not a myth that a cylinder can be a rocket.
They were fortunate that there were no injuries as a result.
When you look at the attached pictures, I think will agree that if the cylinder had hit someone, it could have been a very serious injury.
The attached pictures are the result of an incident which happened on 6th of April 2008 at 2130 hrs in a Fire Station in Malaysia.
Basically what happened is:
1. Firefighter took one Self Contained Breathing Apparatus, (SCBA) cylinder from SCBA store to replace one of the SCBA cylinders from a vehicle as the earlier testing showed that the air content was not sufficient for operation.
2. While one Firefighter dismantled the unserviceable SCBA, another Firefighter checked the new cylinder which included testing the cylinder’s hand wheel and to clean the connection area from dust.
3. The hand wheel was snapped or broken, as a result the cylinder was dropped down vertically on impact with the ground it released the pressure.
4. Everybody ran away for protection as the cylinder was flying around.
5. The cylinder hit an ambulance the ceiling and a locker.
This is a great example to help illustrate proper cylinder handling procedures. It also shows that it is not a myth that a cylinder can be a rocket.
They were fortunate that there were no injuries as a result.
When you look at the attached pictures, I think will agree that if the cylinder had hit someone, it could have been a very serious injury.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Engineco913 on
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4500 psi through such a small opening will make a rocket for sure. I am a little lost on how the bottle valve was broken off before being used. They are extremely durable, and I haven't seen on broken. (I am sure they have before) As soon as the broken valve was noticed, why wasn't it placed out of service? Thankfully noone got hurt based on your story. Your right, a lot of people take for granted the power inside a bottle and don't handle them properly. Hopefully this will shed some light on that.
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Permalink Reply by lutan1 on
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I worked for a company that was a service agent for Sabre for a number of years and the only thing I saw was a thread failure (On the cylinder, not the valve) which resulted in a valve launching itself nearly through a roof....
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Permalink Reply by Ray on
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Was that a relatively new SCBA? The bottle looks quite a bit different than the ones that we use. Was there a record of previous damage. There must have been a pucker factor when that bottle took off.
Ray
www.firefightersecondjobs.com
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Not sure Ray. It looks like a fibre wrap. Just about all cylinders are made by LUXFER and on sold by other manufacturers.
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You sound knowledgeable about SCBAs. Can you tell how old it is and is this cause for any time of safety alert bulletin?
Thanks,
Ray
www.firefightersecondjobs.com
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After thinking about this all afternoon, and throughout the evening, I am leaning more towards lack of maintainance and inspection. There must have been an issue with the shut off knob and when the person lifted it up vertically (using the knob as a grab point) it fell off and hit the deck (causing the head to pop off.) It makes the most logical sense. Why would someone pick the bottle up by the neck if the knob was broken off already?
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Good point. I have been looking at the picture and something looks strange. I can't see where the high pressure hose threads into the neck of the bottle. My air pack has male threads that stick out to receive the air line. Doesn't it seem as if that is missing?
Ray
www.FirefighterSecondJobs.com
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theres no bottle pressure guage, or threads for high pressure hose connect. perhaps it broke off when missiling off around the apparatus room?
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Ok, first things first- this came via email- I know nothing more about it.
However to clarify, here's what I can pick up from the pix (Which I've labelled to assist)-
The valve has snapped in the cylinder. A and B would normally be joined together.
C would normally be at the opposite end of B. It would appear that this sylidner valve and knob are positioned at the bottom, whereas on others they may be at right angles, etc
D is where the cylinder valve connects to the high pressure reducer on the backplate.
Until I saw Ray's photo, I've never seen a set with pressure guage in that position. In this instance, the pressure guage would be coming out of the high pressure reducer, up over the shoulder of the wearer.
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Should clarify that D is a female thread and the high pressure reducer is a male thread...
Please don't make me define the birds and the bees and male threads versus famale threads!
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I know enough about SCBA to be a danger!
An internal safety bulletin? Sure, why not. It's a good visual reminder of what can happen, regardless of the cause in this instance.
USFA released a really good investigation report a number of years ago about an FD in the USA that had some catastrophic cylinder failures after a HAZMAT incident which resulted in building and vehicle damage 10 times worse than this!!! (I've just had a quick look on their website and couldn't find it, but it may be worth while contacting them)
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Found it.
Go to
http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/tr-088.pdf
In particular, check out Appendix A
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