The Airfield Volunteer Fire Service

The Airfield Volunteer Fire Service Breathing Apparatus Deployment Policy Policy Number: P23 Origin: KP Date: 25/06/2015 1

Contents Breathing Apparatus Deployment Policy Page Contents 3 Introduction 3 Breathing Apparatus Equipment 3 Limitations of Use 4 Fitness 3 Training Competency 4 Situations where Breathing Apparatus should be Used 4-5 Situations where Breathing Apparatus should NOT be Used 5 BA Command and Control 5 Rapid Deployment procedure 5 Stage 1 procedure 6 Relaxed Procedures 6 First Aid 6 BA Set DI Procedures 7 Start Up and Donning Procedures 8 Training 8 BA Emergency Procedures 8 Communications and Control 9 Wearer Distress 9 Further Reading 2

Introduction Breathing Apparatus Deployment Policy This policy has been developed to provide guidance to OIC s as to when breathing apparatus should be deployed by AVFS personnel giving due regard to Limitations of use of breathing apparatus. Training competency. Situations where use of breathing apparatus would be recommended. Situations where it would be unwise to commit AVFS personnel. Safe systems of work and command and control procedures. Breathing apparatus and its use is not a current requirement of the CAA for lower category aerodromes, however the AVFS considers its use to be of importance to personal safety and should be used whenever it is deemed necessary by the officer in charge and/or operatives dealing with any incident. Breathing Apparatus should always be deployed in accordance with the guidelines set out in TB 1/97 and this policy and it s use should adopt safe systems of work at all times as outlined in this policy. Breathing apparatus equipment The Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA or BA for short) sets used by the AVFS are manufactured by Draeger and are the PSS7000 range. The cylinders are of composite construction with 1800l capacity charged to 300bar, these will give an operational working duration of approximately 35-40 minutes depending on the level of exertion and fitness of the wearer. Each BA set is also equipped with a torch and a Diktron Automatic Distress Signal Unit (ADSU). The BA sets comply with current EN standards and safety specifications, the set complies with BS EN 136, the mask with EN137 and the reducer with EN 144. Limitations of use The Self Contained Breathing Apparatus set is an apparatus that provides a supply of respirable air carried by the wearer for use in an emergency. SCBA is now common place at most situations involving fire and/or toxic gases or substances. SCBA is not designed to be used under water. 3

Fitness As fitness is a key part of BA wearing, all wearers of BA will have undertaken and passed the AVFS fitness test within the preceding 12 month period to be able to wear BA operationally, the results of the fitness test will be recorded within the Individual Training Record (module 14) Training Competency Before committing a crew into a situation the OIC should be aware of the level of training competence of each crew member and not commit any individual into a situation which they may be uncomfortable with or not suitably trained to deal with. The majority of AVFS operational members are trained to some degree in the use and wearing of BA to standards appropriate for our use and in accordance with TB 1/1997. Members in full time fire service employment would be trained to a higher competence level. Situations where breathing apparatus should be used The use or Respiratory Protective Equipment must be ordered by the OIC in the event of The health and safety of fire-fighters being compromised. The potential of respiratory discomfort exists The potential of respiratory injury exists. Fire-fighters request it. Breathing apparatus should be used at any incident as comfort wear to prevent the wearer being overcome by smoke and/or fumes. As a general rule, breathing apparatus should be used in fire situations whenever there are high smoke volumes and/or there is a possible risk of toxic gases, fumes and MMMF s being present in the air. Most vehicles, caravans, catering vans and similar for example contain plastics and other man made products that give off toxic fumes so breathing apparatus should be worn when tackling such situations. Use of breathing apparatus should also be considered when entering heavily smoke logged areas such as an aircraft fuselage. Situations where breathing apparatus should not be used The level of training given to AVFS members is not sufficient to allow for entry into buildings or other similar structures for the purposes of extinguishing a fire and/or rescue of persons. The active deployment of crews into such situations should be avoided, exceptions to this rule may be made by the officer in charge if 4

1. The attending crews contain sufficient qualified personnel trained to a higher level than that normally offered to AVFS members. ie current local authority or airport fire service trained personnel. 2. An emergency team of suitably qualified personnel is immediately available. 3. There are sufficient numbers of crew available to operate an entry control system and any other items of fire service equipment including pumps. BA Command and Control Persons undertaking BA command and control procedures should be suitably trained BA wearers who are familiar with the use of BA and all relevant command and control procedures. Rapid Deployment procedure. First strike deployment may be initiated under Rapid Deployment Procedures when and if it is Immediately clear that persons are at great risk and in need of rescue, and are either within view or known to be within a short distance of the entry point. Considered that a dangerous escalation of the incident can be prevented by immediate and limited action. Rapid deployment procedures are A minimum safety control procedure at incidents which are small and/or limited in scale. Only used when no more than 2 wearers are permitted into the risk area. Only permitted where appliance crews are limited to 4 riders. That BA wearers have the responsibility to place their tallies into the rapid deployment board to start the digital clock. That as soon as practicable, the rapid deployment procedures must be transferred to full stage 1 procedures. Stage 1 procedure. Stage 1 Control procedures are put in place to meet the demands of small or limited incidents, monitoring the safety of all BA wearers. Stage 1 entry control procedures provide for: The recording of BA wearers entry to the risk Effective communication Relief teams Emergency teams Procedures for BA equipment Stage 1 applies when: The size of the incident is small The use of BA is not protracted There are no more than 2 entry control points The total number of wearers does not exceed 10 The local authority fire service should be advised that we have BA stage 1 in operation. 5

Handover to the local authority fire service should be achieved as soon as is practicable and withdrawal of AVFS crews from the risk areas should be achieved as soon as is practicably possible. Relaxed Procedures. Allowance is made, in exceptional circumstances, for a relaxing of full control procedures. It is the policy of the AVFS that the OIC may, on the basis of DRA, instruct relaxation of full BA procedures only when. BA is being worn in open air. Any BA wearer is able to withdraw easily and without delay from the risk area. A BA wearer is under supervision of another crew member at all times, the supervisor should be a trained BA wearer. The level of control adopted will apply to the whole incident and will not vary for different entry points to the risk area. Relaxation will therefore only occur at smaller incidents. First Aid First aid equipment including oxygen should always be immediately available along with personnel trained in its use when breathing apparatus is being deployed. At a Duty with Fire 2 on standby and when breathing apparatus is available for use, the Duty First Aid Kit shall be stowed on Fire 2. It will stay on Fire 2 as the medical provision for firefighters deployed in breathing apparatus, and shall not be removed except for a medical response in the vicinity of Fire 2, or at the end of a Duty when Fire 2 is stood down. The Duty First Aid Kit shall be inspected at the start of any duty requiring its use, by the nominated Duty First Aider. The inspection will be carried out in accordance with the Duty First Aid Kit Inspection Form which can be found in the First Aid Folder in the Fire Station Crew Room. This will also include a separate check of the AED and the relevant paperwork completed. BA Set DI Procedures. At the start of every duty when Fire 2 and Breathing Apparatus is available individuals will be nominated as wearers of BA. It will be the responsibility of those persons to undertake a duty inspection of their BA sets to ensure the sets are in a fit and safe condition for use. The standard test for the Drager PSS 7000 BA set shall be; Check back plate, harness, reducer, hoses, lung demand valve (LDV) and face mask for any damage. Check cylinder for any damage. Note cylinder number on test record sheet. Press the reset button on the LDV, open cylinder fully; Caution with the gauge when opening the cylinder. Note the cylinder pressure on the contents gauge on test record sheet and tally. Close the cylinder and observe the pressure reading for one minute, if the pressure falls more than 10 bar, repeat the test. If it continues to fall take the set off the run and report the fault to the OIC. If the test is successful, bleed any air from the system by pressing the supplementary air flow button on the LDV. The low pressure warning whistle should sound at 55 bar. 6

Operate the reset button. Open cylinder valve fully. Check the cylinder contents (minimum pressure 80% 240 bar). Don facemask securely; breathe in to start air flow into facemask. Hold breath for 8 seconds moving head from side to side, listen for leaks. Test supplementary supply. Turn off cylinder and inhale to collapse mask onto face. Check for good seal. Hold breath, press reset button, remove mask. Adjust all straps to full extent and clean facemask. Check the operation of the torch and ADSU. Complete test entry on test record sheet. Start Up and Donning Procedures Donning and starting up should ideally be done in the presence of another crew member to ensure that the apparatus has been donned correctly and that PPE is worn correctly, not allowing any skin to be exposed to the conditions in the risk area. At the scene of an incident the following procedure should be adhered to before entering the risk area: Don breathing apparatus Pull into correct position, adjusting straps and clipping buckles as appropriate Tidy away loose strap ends Ensure lung demand valve (LDV) is in closed position (click red button on facemask to reset) Open cylinder valve fully (turn gauge away whilst charging) Fit neck strap and place facemask against face Pull head harness over and fit mask by adjusting straps Breathe deeply 2 or 3 times to actuate and test the breathing valve functionality Operate the supplementary air flow button to check its operation Pull flash-hood over head and ensure a good seal against edges of facemask Don helmet and secure chin strap Perform facemask seal test as follows: Hold breath and turn off the cylinder valve Observe pressure gauge for approximately 8 seconds whilst gently moving the head up and down and side to side. There should be no discernable pressure drop (> 20bar) during this test. If a pressure drop occurs during extreme movement of the head it should cease once the head is returned to a more central position and/or the head movement is less severe. Breathe steadily until the air is exhausted and inhale further to cause the mask to collapse onto the face Open the cylinder valve and take 2-3 normal breaths If a leak is detected the facemask should be refitted with particular attention to correct adjustment of the head harness without over-tightening. Further failure to achieve a satisfactory facemask seal test should be reported to an Officer. 7

Training Breathing Apparatus (BA) training within the AVFS will be initially be on a comfort wear basis, The initial training will include both theoretical, oral and practical elements and concluding with a written test paper and assessment wear. Training will only be provided by suitably trained personnel and documented within the Individual Training Record (module 11). Skills will be assessed throughout the year with BA being regularly incorporated into drills. Further details on BA training requirements and the BA training syllabus can be found in the AVFS BA Training module notes. BA Emergency procedures Stage 1 Entry Control Point (ECP) will have an Emergency Team if resources allow: Team of 2 per 10 wearers is the minimum Equipped to standards of wearers in the risk Team nominated by Entry Control Officer (ECO) Stationed at ECP An Emergency Team will be committed if: Teams fail to exit by time of whistle An ADSU sounds The development of a dangerous situation affecting BA teams occurs BA wearer distress Protracted failure of communications equipment In the event that an Emergency Team is committed, the following actions must be taken by ECO: Inform OIC as soon as practicable Inform AVFS Control with the following message: ASSISTANCE MESSAGE BA EMERGENCY Communications with Control AVFS Control should be informed as soon as practicable that BA is in use, and the level of control procedures in place: Relaxed Procedures Rapid Deployment Procedures Stage 1 Procedures In the event that an Emergency Team is committed at an incident, the ECO or OIC will inform AVFS Control with the following message: ASSISTANCE MESSAGE BA EMERGENCY. AVFS Control must contact Local Authority Brigade Control with utmost urgency to inform of a BA Emergency. In Bedfordshire, the following mobilisation of resources is anticipated from Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service: Rescue Pump Ambulance Nearest Officer 8

Wearer Distress The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) Any breathing apparatus malfunction should be reported provided that the malfunction occurred whilst the set: Was in use, or During test immediately prior to use in such a way that had the malfunction occurred whilst the apparatus was in use it would have posed a danger to the health and safety of the wearer In the event of wearer distress: Impound BA set complete Impound all records Close cylinder valve, noting number of turns in front of a witness Seal BA set in a container Do not allow any person to tamper with the set Further Reading Airfield Volunteer Fire Service Breathing Apparatus Training Manual Fire Service Technical Bulletin 1/1997 The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 The management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 1992 Respiratory Protection Regulations. COSHH The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) AVFS BA Training Notes This policy supplements the relevant sections of the Airfield Volunteer Fire Service Constitution and supersedes previous versions of this policy with effect from 26/05/2015. 9