Near Miss: Captain Runs Out of Air
This week's near miss has two separate reports for the same incident. The incident involves a captain ignoring his low air alarm during the search for a child in a structure fire.
At some point my vibra-alert began to sound and I figured we still had time to continue the search. The fire, mattress, was darkened down and the heat was low. I called for a thermal imaging camera and assistance with the search. My alarm continued and one firefighter recommended leaving the area. I thought we still had time and wanted to wait for the next crew. The next crew arrived as I was running out of air. I broke the seal on my mask and took a smoky breath from the floor. I asked the arriving crew where the stairs were for a quick exit. The incoming crew was able to direct me with the hoseline, I took one more breath from the floor and raced up the stairs with my firefighters close behind.
This is just an excerpt from the full report made by the captain involved. Here is the other report made by a different firefighter at the same scene. Read both reports to get different perspectives on the same incident.
So what can be learned from this near miss? The captain that ran out of air says it best:
I re-learned what I learned in the academy 18 years ago LEAVE WHEN YOUR VIBRA-ALERT GOES OFF.
Posted June 1, 2006 09:53 AM · Link
· Near Misses
