September 2012 Fire Training

MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY

Practice Size-up

6301 Penny Lane290 E. Roy Barnes Rd.

Why are we here?

• Upcoming MAYDAY training with CFD• Introduction/Refresher to communications• Tying it all together• Accountability• Incident Command• Initial Engine Company Operations• Fire Behavior• Apparatus Staging• Radio Discipline

• 2012 LODD – 52 firefighters total

A firefighters survivability in the hazard zone, is

totally dependent on an effective size-up and managing air supply

October Fire Training• Scenario Based on

Managing the MAYDAY– Air management

techniques– Incident Command

responsibilities – Crew resource

responsibilities

BCFPD-CFD Joint Training

Reasons for Firefighter Deaths and Injuries

• Poor size-up (Primary and Secondary)• Improper tactical decisions• Failure to recognize rapidly deteriorating

conditions– Lightweight building construction– Increased fire load

• Lack of strong Incident Command• Freelancing• Lack of training

Changing Fire Conditions

• How will changing fire conditions contribute to a firefighter Mayday situation?

• NIST studies• Underwriters Laboratories– What are these studies telling us?

When are Mayday’s occurring?

• First crew inside the structure– What potential issues does this scenario have?

• Overhaul– What about this scenario?

Notable Events

Brett TarverSouthwest

Supermarket

Kyle WilsonPrince William County

Virginia

Hackensack New Jersey

Charleston Sofa Super Store

Hackensack FordJuly 1, 1988

• 14:59 – Initial Dispatch• 15:08 – Ladder company

ordered to vent the roof.• 15:09 – Observed “brown

smoke” in the attic.• 15:22 – “Fire in the vent hole”• 15:34 – Crews ordered to “back

your lines out” • 15:36 Bowstring Arch Truss

Collapse– Captain Richard Williams– Lieutenant Richard Reinhagen– Firefighter William Krejsa– Firefighter Leonard Radumski– Firefighter Stephen Ennis

• At 15:39, Lieutenant Reinhagen began to radio his location and appeal for help

• 15:42 – “You have to hurry, we’re running out of air.”

• Dispatch radioed the Incident Commander (Chief Williams) with no response.

• Over the next 6 minutes, Reinhagen made 10 more calls for help with no answer.

• 15:49 - “Chief, this is Lieutenant Reinhagen. I’m still stuck back in the right rear of the building in the closet. We are out of air in a closet. We’re out of air.”

• “What’s your location?” Chief Williams said.• 15:50 - “Stuck in a closet. Out of air”• Chief Williams, “Stuck in a closet?”• 12 seconds later – Chief Williams, “Where are

you?”• Reinhagen, “Help. The right rear. Out of air.

Anybody out there? Stuck in the closet, right rear. No air. Help.”

• 15:52 (last transmission) - “First floor, underneath the collapsed ceiling.”

Dimensions- N-224 ft.- S- 175 ft.- W- 100 ft.

Hackensack Lessons Learned

• Poor Incident Command Structure• All operations (including dispatch) were

working on one radio frequency• Helped establish Mayday protocols• Dangers of bowstring construction• Air management is crucial

• August 16, 2012• Dispatch– 21:52

• Further Information– Caller just got home and can see smoke and

the door handles are hot to the touch• E401 (Captain Timmermann) arrived on

scene at 22:06 and established command

Apparatus

E1301

E301

E401

T305

T405

S604

M111

T505

T905

E701

AIR15

13600 N Route E

What’s your size-up?

Columbia 360 complete…

Front Door

When to call a Mayday• Becoming trapped or entangled• Cut off by fire• Cut off by collapse• Falling through a floor or roof• Being pinned• SCBA failure in a hazardous environment• Air supply is less than required to exit IDLH atmosphere.• Firefighter down• Becoming lost or disoriented, or losing a member of your crew.• Anytime a PASS device is fully activated and a PAR report

confirms a member unaccounted for.• Structural Collapse during interior firefighting which results in

any of the above circumstances• Any other life threatening condition not listed in the above-

specified conditions.

How to call a Mayday

• Most of us originally learned LUNAR• UCAAN-P–U – Unit Calling–C - Conditions–A – Actions–A – Air –N - Needs–P – Pass (Initiated by the Incident

Commander)

“MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY”

• Once a MAYDAY transmission occurs, there are a number of steps that need to happen.–Hold all radio traffic for the firefighter

MAYDAY–All units on scene maintain radio discipline• Stay OFF the radio – emergency traffic only

MAYDAY Command Responsibilities

• Activate a RIC (On Deck Crew) based on the needs of the firefighter in trouble

• Notification to PSJC–“All call” tones–Dispatch “Mayday Assignment” an

additional engine, tanker, squad, and ambulance

• IC will add additional Command Aides to assist with incident management

Command Operations cont.

• PAR check• Do not flood the interior with resources –

send only what is required• Assign Division supervisors to manage units in

the hazard zone• Support firefighting operations

Mayday Scenarios

1. Mayday called on the Tactical channel and acknowledged by the IC

2. Mayday called on the tactical channel and not acknowledged by the IC

3. Mayday called on the tactical frequency to the first arriving IC (apparatus operator)

4. Mayday called on the main frequency5. Situation with no radio

Tarver VideoThings that

came from the Bret Tarver

incident

Tarver Lessons Learned

• Phoenix Fire conducted Mayday research over a span of 5 years (2002-2006) – Radio Traffic was overwhelming once a Mayday

was transmitted– Multiple radio channels were ineffective and left

firefighters disconnected from operations– Rescues were being done from the outside/in

rather than inside/out– When incidents are out of balance = more

freelancing

RIT is not Rapid

• Brett Tarver, Phoenix Fire Department – 53 minutes from Mayday call to recovery

• Why is calling an early Mayday important?• Because we are all the same– Aggressive in nature– Hate to lose– Think we can overcome any situation– Don’t want to admit defeat

Not calling the Mayday…

Air Management

• "Our life expectancy inside a structure fire is limited to the air we carry on our backs.“– Alan Brunacini, Fire Chief (ret.), Phoenix FD• Air Conservation

RIT Time (minutes) Task

22.5 4,500 psi bottle

2.47 Establish a RIT Team

2.55 Entry after a Mayday is called

21.8 Rescue a Firefighter

16-18 Structural collapse

Personnel Task

12:1 Firefighters to complete a rescue

Radios

Apparatus Radios Officer Radios