Saturday, October 26, 2013

Out of Air

When you are out of Air - You are out of Air.  Period.

HOUSTON MAYDAY Part 1

  HOUSTON MAYDAY Part 2


The Loss of Captain Jeff Bowen
Asheville, NC Fire Department


In Hostile Fire Environments that are Super Hot, filled with Poisonous gas,
and low levels of oxygen, there is nothing to breathe
except superheated poisonous gases that will melt your lungs.
160 degree air for one minute and a human will die from the respiratory burns.

Firefighters rely on their Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA)
to survive the environments that we work in. 

IDLH Atmosphere
Inherently Dangerous to Life and Health



The air bottles that we use hold approximately 15 minutes of air for us to breathe.
Less under heavy work conditions.
We already are wearing almost 60 pounds of equipment and we are carrying tools as well.
Each of these carries a price tag of almost $6,000.
Scott Safety SCBA Made in Monroe, NC

Firefighters have to be able to swap out Air Bottles inside the
Hostile environment that they work in by holding their breath and turning off the bottle, unscrewing the fitting, and having another firefighter remove it and replace it.  After screwing the fitting back on the bottle, the bottle is turned  back on and the firefighter can once again breathe.

 Turn off bottle, unscrew fitting
 Remove bottle and replace with full bottle
Reattach high pressure line and turn on bottle
Photos courtesy of Concord High School Fire Academy

Now Let's See what it is like interior with a working Fire













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