Lifeline in the Sky Training Manual for Firefighter Air Systems Revised 2Nd Edition
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Lifeline in the Sky Training Manual for Firefighter Air Systems Revised 2nd Edition by Ronny J. Coleman with Anthony J. Turiello About the Authors Ronny J. Coleman is a 40+year veteran of the fire service. He was the Fire Marshal of the State of California from 1992 to 1999, and is the past president of the Fire & Emergency Television Network, which features career development and succession planning in its Command Transfer series. He served as the fire chief of Fullerton and San Clemente, CA. He is a certified fire chief and a master instructor in the California Fire Service Training and Education System. A Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers, he has an associate's degree in fire science, a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in vocational education. Anthony J. Turiello is the founder and CEO of Rescue Air Systems, Inc., the industry leader in firefighter air replenishment systems. Since 1989, Turiello and his organization have pioneered and perfected the firefighter air replenishment system and in the process created the firefighter air replenishment system industry. Acknowledgements The authors gratefully acknowledge the input of the members of the firefighter air replenishment system Technical Advisory Group who made this training manual possible: Robert Marcucci, Dave Parsons, Hugh Council, Jack Murphy, Jim Tidwell, Kate Dargan, Mike Ridley and Ron Myers The authors also would like to recognize the many fire service professionals who have become involved in the discussion of this technology. More than 100 individuals have received a copy of this manual and have provided feedback. We would especially like to acknowledge the contributions of Joe Rush, Joe Haney, Ron Spadafora, Jeff Seaton, Julius Cherry, Robert Matthews and Chuck Montgomery along with many others. We also thank Rescue Air Systems, Inc. for underwriting the production and distribution of this training manual and supplemental material. RescueAir Systems, Inc. 751 Laurel Street, Suite 416 San Carlos, CA 94070 Telephone 650‐654‐6000 www.rescueair.com by Ronny J. Coleman with Anthony J. Turiello Dedication This book is dedicated to the memory of Chief Don Anthony of the Los Angeles Fire Department. He was a leader on the fire‐ground, a visionary in the industry and a man who made a difference in everything he touched Declaration of Intent The published codes and standards governing safety technology are written to satisfy minimum safety standards. As technology advances, existing codes may not necessarily be representative of the state‐of‐the‐art in fire safety technology. The authors of this book recommend that jurisdictions adopting FARS codes thoroughly research the current technology and adapt it to local needs. Best practices will often exceed the safety standards specified in existing code language. ii © 2012 Ronny J. Coleman Table of Contents Acknowledgements..................................................................................................................i Table of Contents ................................................................................................................... iii Table of Figures..................................................................................................................... vii Goals of the Training Program ...........................................................................................ix Learning Objectives for This Training Manual .............................................................ix Forward......................................................................................................................................xi Chapter One The Doctrine of the SCBA ..........................................................................2 Breathing Apparatus in the Past.................................................................................................................... 2 The Concept of Risk............................................................................................................................................. 3 The Concept of Doctrine.................................................................................................................................... 3 Phenomenon of IDLH ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Where Do We Find IDLH?................................................................................................................................. 5 The Four Elements of the Doctrine............................................................................................................... 5 What Are the Risk Factors for Your Fire Department?........................................................................ 6 What Does "Proper Design" Mean? .............................................................................................................. 7 NFPA Standards .................................................................................................................................................... 7 The New Generation ........................................................................................................................................... 8 Proper Training and Physical Fitness ......................................................................................................... 9 Other Organizations and Their Support of Doctrine............................................................................. 9 Physical Fitness Programs .............................................................................................................................10 Monitoring While Training ............................................................................................................................10 Proper Supervision and Accountability....................................................................................................10 Rules of Air Management................................................................................................................................11 Properly Supported to Sustain Operations.............................................................................................13 Manual Methods of Replenishing Air Supply .........................................................................................13 Firefighter Down ................................................................................................................................................13 Built‐in Methods .................................................................................................................................................14 To download a PDF version of this form, please visit www.rescueair.com..............................18 Summary................................................................................................................................................................19 Chapter Two Risk Assessment....................................................................................... 20 Vertical Cities and Horizontal Fire Problems.........................................................................................20 Horizontal High‐Rises ......................................................................................................................................21 Can Technology Keep Up? ..............................................................................................................................22 What is a Tall Building? ...................................................................................................................................22 What is a Super‐Tall Building? .....................................................................................................................23 How is the Height of a Tall Building Measured? ...................................................................................24 Building Status.....................................................................................................................................................25 Structural Material.............................................................................................................................................25 Determination of Compliance to Criteria.................................................................................................26 Underground Buildings ...............................................................................................................................26 Tunnels and Subways ...................................................................................................................................26 © 2012 Ronny J. Coleman iii Who Certifies This System? ...........................................................................................................................68 Is More Training Required?...........................................................................................................................69 Who Has Authority to Require a FARS?....................................................................................................69 Why Should an Architect Support the Use of FARS?...........................................................................69 Why Install FARS into Government Buildings?.....................................................................................70 If the Structure