Vol. II 201.01B May Day Readiness and Response

Question 1

What is a Mayday and who can call it?

Answer 1

Any situation where a firefighter is unable to safely exit the hazard zone or an event that cannot be resolved by
that individual within 30 seconds. Any member working on duty

Question 2

NFPA 1500 defines May Day Readiness as?

Answer 2

ability to “don, doff and manipulate the SCBA in zero visibility while wearing firefighting gloves.”

Question 3

What are the most important factors for May Day prevention?

Answer 3

- Working within an Incident Command System/Risk Management System
- Working within the Incident Action Plan
- Always being accountable to someone within the incident command system (Never Freelance)
- Maintaining individual and crew air management
- Management of work cycles
- Monitoring distances traveled into buildings
- Layering of resources and providing for a tactical reserve
 -Planning and acting out an exit plan

Question 4

What are the 2 components for May Day readiness?

Answer 4

Prevention and Response

Question 5

What are the Individual firefighter responsibilities for Mayday prevention?

Answer 5

- Maintaining SCBA proficiency
- Practicing individual air management (task level of M.P. 202.05C)
- Use and care personal protective equipment
- Portable radio proficiency and use
 -Practiced crew communications
- Roving/replacement firefighter integration into crew
Individual firefighters have to be responsible
to ask if not initiated by company officer

Question 6

What are the Company officer responsibilities in May Day prevention?

Answer 6

- Integrating a daily SCBA check into the crew routine
- Practicing crew communication in the hazard zone
- Rover integration into crew
- Individual rovers are responsible to ask if not explicitly discussed at the beginning of a shift
- Maintaining knowledge of portable radios and practicing their use
- Ensuring Company Officer responsibilities and expectations are clear to the entire crew
- Practicing and maintaining crew integrity/accountability
- Instilling the standard that firefighters should always stay on a hoseline

Question 7

What are the individual FF responsibilities for May Day response?

Answer 7

- Maintaining preparation and reaction skills
- Early communication of Mayday situation utilizing the above standard
- Controlling an emotional response to the situation
- Once the Mayday situation is recognized and reported, each firefighter should remember:
o B.O.A. = Breath, Organize and Act
 Utilization of IAFF Fire Ground Survival training
o SCBA familiarization
o High/low profile wall breech
o Disentanglement
o Ladder bail
o Window hang
o GRAB LIVES

Question 8

What does the acronym GRAB LIVES stand for?

Answer 8

 G = Check Air Gauge
 R = Radio for Assistance
 A = Activate PASS Device
 B = Control Breathing, Conserve Air
 L = Stay Low
 I = Illuminate, Turn Flashlight On
 V = Make Loud Noises (Volume)
 E = Find An Exit
 S = Shield Your Airway (last ditch effort)

Question 9

What are the responsibilities at the tactical level for May day response and readiness?

Answer 9

- Working within the overall incident action plan
- Continual assessment of the decision making model within the sector operations
- Management of tactical objectives for the sector through position and functions of crews working within
this sector

Question 10

In the event of a May Day situation, who will take responsibility of the resolution of the May Day situation?

Answer 10

Sector officer of the Sector where the May Day was called

Question 11

Who has the ultimate responsibility for actively and continually providing for the prevention and response to a May Day situation?

Answer 11

The Incident Command Team

Question 12

Should the Incident and Mayday always remain on the same tactical radio channel?

Answer 12

Yes

Question 13

What is the tactical benchmark for the end point of a Mayday?

Answer 13

May Day resolved

Question 14

What are the critical points that have to be

confirmed prior to giving the benchmark of “Mayday resolved”?

Answer 14

 -The individual(s) that are experiencing the Mayday situation are removed from the hazard zone
- All members involved in the rescue are accounted for and are out of the hazard zone
- All members working in all other sectors are accounted for
 -The Incident Commander can give a PAR for the entire hazard zone

Question 15

In the event of a May Day, who has the responsibility to notify command of the completion of the rescue and that all members involved are out of the hazard zone?

Answer 15

The Officer of the individual sector in which the Mayday occurred

Question 16

Once a May Day is initiated, what happens to the overall incident in terms of units responding?

Answer 16

the incident is upgraded using the Mayday nature code
 -If 3 – 1 incident, then balanced to 1st Alarm Mayday
- If 1st Alarm incident, then balanced to 2nd Alarm Mayday
 - Continues to 9 Alarms
 -Provide additional medical or transport resources as appropriate

Question 17

What is the only way to guarantee a successful outcome of a Mayday situation?

Answer 17

Prevent it

Question 18

What does the acronym B.O.A. stand for?

Answer 18

Breathe, Organize, Act