Advertisement

Fire Engineering Board Blog

Bookmark This Page! (Ctrl+D)
 Subscribe to an RSS Feed of this Blog.
<< Home

All Mask All the Time
A month or two ago, In Fire Engineering's' Round Table, we asked a question concerning Overhaul and the use of SCBA's.

In Toledo, we have changed our SCBA policy due to new findings concerning smoke by-products - specifically Hydrogen Cyanide and Free Radicals. These chemicals are present hours after the visible smoke is gone. Due to these findings, we instituted a policy that states that all members must wear their SCBA "in service" anytime they are in a building that has had a fire, including during overhaul. Our guys and gals call it - "All Mask All the Time". Even when we go back to check for hot spots an hour after leaving the scene, they wear their SCBA's and breathe out of them.

Does your department do anything similar to this and when do you think it is a proper time to stop wearing a SCBA?

posted by Skip Coleman
 10/16/2007 07:15:00 PM

Post a Comment

2 Comments:

Blogger Charity said...

We do not have an SOP or SOG stating this however on my own power I will not go in without an SCBA and mask on. There are just to many chemicals being used in everyday household products now, and it simply is not safe to go without a mask on.

Wed Oct 24, 03:27:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Harold said...

Just a question. Where did those new findings come from and where can they be found?

A new Sop that is being developed states that SCBA shoud be worn untill two hours after the fire is out.

Thu Oct 25, 02:49:00 AM EDT  

Post a Comment

<< Home