Scba Woes...input Please!!!

[o2cr125mx]

yea i got rid of this cuz its outdated topic

[ftfdverbenec770]

if your having problems or if it is slowing you down attaching the reg to the mask, maybe you should pratice more. there is no way that taking the extra second, ok 2 seconds to clip your mask in can be slowing you down that much.

as far as places that allow guys to keep their masks hooked up and ready to go, and also have their gear right next to that pack, usually its because they are assigned to that pack. that is their pack they use for that shift. that how my career dept is and i belive majority of the the depts do it that do assign people to a company. on my vollie dept, its first come first serve. you dont fight over air packs, or care who is in which one. they are all the same and do the same job.

[Firetacoma1]

They're you're officers and it sounds like they've spoken. If it truely takes 4 seconds to disconnect your regulator, then it's not a big deal to clip in when you get there eh? Doesn't seem like a big enough deal to me to make a big stink over.

[rfdlou]

I would follow Dept. policy and keep my mask with my gear. By connecting YOUR mask you are claiming/reserving that pak & the brothers don’t like it. Face it, you say it yourself “for the 2 seconds it took him to unclip my mask and clip his in” it’s not about saving time. Your Lt.is the guy you work for not the Capt. & he told you to stop, STOP.

[o2cr125mx]

getting rid of old posts

[BoxAlarm187]

I have to agree with the others. You've made your own point that it takes only seconds to switch one mask out with another, so it seems like it would only take seconds to clip yours in.

Listen to the line officers, and choose which battles might be best to fight.

[rfdlou]

All our Scott paks have a large mask stored with it (Vol Dept.) If you needed a small or X large for fit test you have you own mask. If you don’t want to use a community large mask we give you a personal one.

[firefiftyfive]

First of all who really gives a crap who's facepiece you are wearing. As long as it works and is clean! Secondly tell the member that does'nt make that many runs and feel it is necessary to "chew" you out to stick it up their ***! This is juvenile bullcrap!

[MemphisE34a]

If a member that you suggest makes 10% of the runs can unclip a face piece in 2 seconds (your words), this whole thing doesn't seem like that big of a deal.

I say keep your face piece with you so you don't find it broken or lost one day and have to pay for it. Make the connection to the airpack you are sitting in front of at any given time.

Here's a lil more food for thought:

I am guessing that you have quick connects to hook your personal face piece into any given airpack. We have the same thing here in Memphis. I never ride with the regulator already hooked into the pack. The quick connect regulator is easier to hook up than getting the demand valve into the face piece.

Therfore I always leave the demand valve connected and connect the regulator lines only after donning the pack. It takes about 1/2 a second.

[SIGNAL99COM]

Exactly what type of department do you operate in?

Don't all of your members get fit tested? If so, why does it sound like using any old mask is fine?

Question: What would you do?
First off, I have never heard of any department in my County that would even think of allowing their members to keep their personal masks on the apparatus, preconnected to the SCBA. You have proven how much of a mistake this entire concept is.

Question: Do you think some of us wanting to keep our masks on the scba is useless?
Yup, 100% useless. Members who do not take the time to properly don their SCBA before entering an IDLH atmosphere scare me. I am having a very hard time believing that members who feel as if they don't have the time to clip their masks onto the SCBA while enroute, probably are not taking the time to make sure their hoods are on correctly, coats buckled up, etc.

[Bones42]

SIGNAL99COM, quick question for you....do you wear your SCBA mask, hood, and helmet while still riding seated in the truck? and are you on air or not while still riding seated in the truck?

[KenNFD1219]

it was just me and another crew member who is typically our pump operater (doesnt have much motivation).

Upon arrival, one of the members of my engine who makes less then id say 10% of the calls a year, and in my opinion is incompetent in most basic firefighting skills (never even seen him on air)

I just feel like our officers may see my points and realize i have a valid point, but since they are the officers, there way has to be right (remember, the Capt. like our idea until the LT. made a stink about it). :-(

I see a bigger problem here than where you should keep you SCBA mask. One guy is a pump operator becuase he does not have any motivation, another is, in your words, incompetent, and officers stick together, even if they are wrong, because they are officers and are always right. Maybe the captain did not understand the whole issue until the lieutenant brought it to his attention?

My opinion is you should keep all your PPE together. Unless you are assigned to wear that particular SCBA, you should not "mark it" as yours, which is what it seems your are doing.

[SIGNAL99COM]

SIGNAL99COM, quick question for you....do you wear your SCBA mask, hood, and helmet while still riding seated in the truck? and are you on air or not while still riding seated in the truck?

While "still riding seated in the truck", my hood is around my neck with the bottom properly down onto my shoulders, with my coat buckled up. Depending on the type of call, I may have my pack on but obviously not breathing air, or with my mask on. I do not believe in wearing a mask until you hit the door and are ready to go in.

You asked if I was on air while enroute to the alarm. Who does this?

[MarcusKspn]

Maybe while you are sitting there, not on air, would be a good time to attach your own personal mask that you keep with your gear to your SCBA. That way you don't have to keep your mask on the pack at all times.

[Bones42]

You asked if I was on air while enroute to the alarm. Who does this?

Surprisingly, there are some on these forums that do. They want to be ready to go as soon as the truck stops.

[CTJAKE]

Two things.

1. It is not a big deal to attach your mask and regulator on your way to the call or even when you get there. With all your "adrenaline" that you seem to have, you might want to take the extra couple of seconds to calm down, and take a look at the big picture, tunnel vision is half the battle at a fire. Relax, the fire will go out, they always do.

2. There is no need to step off the truck with your mask on and especially on air. SEE ABOVE.

[o2cr125mx]

EDIT: getting rid of some of my old posts