SCBA Flashcards
Officer Responsibility
Officers in charge must ensure that all personnel are wearing an SCBA in IDLH or suspected hazardous atmosphere.
BOA
Breathe, Organize and Act
Four Breathing Techniques
- Skip breathing: A normal inhalation held for several seconds, followed by an additional inhalation before exhalation
- Box breathing: A slow inhalation over 3-4 seconds, hold for 3-4 seconds, exhale over 3-4 seconds, and then hold for 3-4 seconds before the next inhalation
- The Reilly Emergency Breathing Technique (R-EBT): A slow inhalation followed by an exhalation controlled by the athlete making a humming sound as the breath is released
- Straw breathing: A slow inhalation followed by an exhalation controlled by pursing the lips to mimic breathing through a straw
Emergency breathing technique
Wheel breathing, last resort. Done in low air situations or in the event of a severed or cut air supply line. Never hold your breathe.
Heat stress injuries
Heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion include fatigue, muscular weakness, tachycardia, fainting, nausea and vomiting, and profuse sweating.
Describing SCBA
Pressure-demand self-contained breathing apparatus, open circuit (exhaled air goes into atmosphere).
10 components of SCBA
- Facepiece
- Regulator (demand valve)
- Heads-Up Display (HUD) (part of both facepiece and regulator)
- Cylinder and control valve assembly
- Pressure reducer with primary low pressure warning device
- Control module with integrated thermal imaging camera
- Power module
- Harness and carrier assembly
- Speaker module
- Quick-fill pouch
Personal Alert Safety System (PASS)
Provides the user with the ability to monitor movement through a motion sensor. Pre-alarm 20 seconds, full alarm 30 seconds. The PASS device also monitors cylinder pressure and battery status.
Face piece
The face piece is equipped with a mechanical speech diaphragm that enhances speech communication. The HUD is provided inside the face piece through light pipes from the regulator.
Regulator
The mask mounted G1 Regulator is a pressure-demand regulator, which maintains a positive pressure in the face piece while the SCBA is in use. The positive pressure regulator reduces the pressure coming from the pressure reducer further to provide breathable air to the user (102-113). The Regulator is equipped with an emergency bypass valve (Red knob on the side of the regulator). The top and bottom buttons are for locking in the regulator and releasing the regulator. When you push the bottom button on the regulator it shuts off air flow to the face piece. The top button houses an LED buddy light Yellow = 1⁄2 air and Red = low air or PASS.
HUD
Air level indicator on right (4), top to bottom on left; status icon, evacuation icon and low battery icon. 7 total.
Pressure Reducer with Primary Low Pressure Warning Device
The pressure reducer reduces the cylinder pressure to an intermediate pressure, which is in turn further reduced by the regulator to a pressure that is respirable by the user. The pressure reducer incorporates a failsafe design which ensures air flow to the user in the event of a malfunction within the pressure reducer.
UAC fitting (Universal Rescue Connection)
The UAC fitting is a male fitting inlet for use by Rapid Intervention Teams for emergency filling of the SCBA or during transfill operations.
Primary Low Pressure Warning Device (Bell)
The primary low pressure warning device alarms when there is approximately 35% of the SCBA’s rated service time remaining and when the cylinder valve is first opened, providing an audible indication that the alarm is working properly. NIOSH regulation states that the primary low pressure warning device must alert the user at 35% plus or minus 2%.
Control Module with PASS Device and Integrated Thermal Imaging Camera
PASS device on the G1 SCBA is made up of three components: battery module, power module, and control module. The PASS device also monitors cylinder pressure and battery status.
