Putting SCBA on in less than a minute?

Is this really possible, I am told to pass Allegheny County Fire exam in conjunction with other requirements I must be able to put on a SCBA on, hook it up and be breathing air And put my fire gloves on in 60 seconds. Ive tried this and my best time so far in 90 seconds. Though I am really really new and haven't practiced at great length this part of the exam scares me simply cause it is pass or fail if I go over 60 seconds.

Is it really possible, any tricks out there other than to practice practice practice to get this all on, hooked up and be breathing in 60 seconds?

Thanks

Just keep on practicing. It can be done. When I was a Vol, I had to do it for the two dept's that I worked for, and when I was hired full-time I had to do it again for my dept. Most dept's that I know of require this skill to be passed.

Yea its definately possible. Me and a few other guys from my dept. averaged in the mid 40's. But the trick is go fast by going slow. They don't care if you do it in 20 seconds or 59 seconds, as long as its done right. And another thing stay on your knees the entire time you are putting everything on, that took about 5 seconds off my time, instead of standing up and bending over to pick everything up. You just got to keep practicing and see what works best for you.

We used to have to do it in 60 from a cabinet, the time stopped when the cabinet was closed. What worked for us, was to break it up into sections. Practice each part separately, get good at each part, and then put them together. It is one of those things were practice makes perfect. You need to have done it 30 times in less than 60 to know on test day you can.

A lot of this is mental. You have to know it can be done, and that you can do it. Scientists said the 4 minute mile could not be done. The first person ran one and in the same week 6 others did also. They just had to know it could be done.

Good Luck, Capt Rob
nrtc@sonic.net
(707)869-1330
www.myfireinterview.com

In Ct its called the 45 sec drill. You have to be on air with gloves within 45 seconds. You will pracice this drill in the several hundred times before you your tested. So dont beat yourself up over it, you will be doing this in less then 45 seconds.

You have a full minute?! :eek:

When I went through the academy (1990), we only had 45 seconds.
We wore the old 2216psi MSA's back then.

We had to check the cylinder pressure, open the valve, don the pack, tighten the straps, buckle the waistband, don the mask and perform a mask seal check as well as check the operation of the exhalation valve. Next, we had to connect the low-pressure hose to the regulator, open the mainline, then don the helmet with the chin strap fastened, and finally don our gloves.

My times by the end of the academy were in the low to mid 30's...32 seconds on my State Exam. :D

The only thing we did not have to do was don a hood. They were not commonly used back then.

There are a few time-saving things you can do to shave a few seconds off your time.

*Use gloves with no liner that are a size or two larger than you normally wear.

*Before donning the mask, put your helmet on with the chinstrap fastened and the postman's slide fully extended. Hang the lid on your back with the strap across your throat. When it's time to put the helmet on, simply pull it up onto your head and sinch the strap.

*Practice every step in the same order every time.

*Start slowly and be 100% accurate. Speed will come as your accuracy improves.

*Practice, practice, practice! Then practice some more! ;)

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Originally Posted by fireman4949

You have a full minute?! :eek:

When I went through the academy (1990), we only had 45 seconds.
We wore the old 2216psi MSA's back then.

We had to check the cylinder pressure, open the valve, don the pack, tighten the straps, buckle the waistband, don the mask and perform a mask seal check as well as check the operation of the exhalation valve. Next, we had to connect the low-pressure hose to the regulator, open the mainline, then don the helmet with the chin strap fastened, and finally don our gloves.

My times by the end of the academy were in the low to mid 30's...32 seconds on my State Exam. :D

The only thing we did not have to do was don a hood. They were not commonly used back then.

There are a few time-saving things you can do to shave a few seconds off your time.

*Use gloves with no liner that are a size or two larger than you normally wear.

*Before donning the mask, put your helmet on with the chinstrap fastened and the postman's slide fully extended. Hang the lid on your back with the strap across your throat. When it's time to put the helmet on, simply pull it up onto your head and sinch the strap.

*Practice every step in the same order every time.

*Start slowly and be 100% accurate. Speed will come as your accuracy improves.

*Practice, practice, practice! Then practice some more! ;)

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Kevin..........you forgot to mention that you had to do all of this while walking backward in the snow..............:D

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Originally Posted by AZFF25

Kevin..........you forgot to mention that you had to do all of this while walking backward in the snow..............:D

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and uphill!!!!!!!!!!

It's kind of like riding a bike or hitting a baseball....you have to practice, practice, practice until you develop "muscle memory" and all the motions become automatic. If you're having to think about it as you're doing it, you'll get all fumbly and mess yourself up.


I agree with FfighterRob....get familiar with each step, one at a time, until you can do each step with your eyes closed, no fail, every time. Then, put them all together.

One instructor put it to me this way..."Slow equals smooth and smooth equals fast". Get all the motions perfected just taking your time, and eventually the speed will come naturally.

Actually, it shouldn't take too much practice to get under a minute. It seems hard at first, but once you've done it a few times a minute is a piece of cake.

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Originally Posted by RFRDxplorer

and uphill!!!!!!!!!!

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Thanks for having my back!

just keep practicing man when i first started it took me around 1.30 to don all gear and air pack and now i can do it between 45 and 55 seconds all day long its just practice practice practice like the rest fo the guys have said

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Originally Posted by RFRDxplorer

and uphill!!!!!!!!!!

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...While blindfolded, I might add! :p

Ditto,

Practice, Practice, Practice.

No rookie of mine has ever made it first try, but by the end of fire school, you'll be well under a minute. Most of my crew can do it mid-forties when they keep sharp.

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Originally Posted by fireman4949

...While blindfolded, I might add! :p

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You forgot to mention....while chewing gum and whistling Dixie!!!

Ditto what the others said, especially "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast." That's not just something to tell yourself, it's truth.

OP still has the coolest username on here, BTW.

But what're you gonna do when you're not a Probie anymore? Darth Axe? Jedi Knight Hal'ee-gan? ;)

Don't worry about it too much, and just practice, practice, practice. This is something I originally had difficulty with, though I've now gotten my time down to around 40.

Use gloves that are too large for your hands, and fold the cuff over the glove itself. It's easier and in my experience quicker to slide the glove on without the cuff in the way, and then to pull that back, than to try to do it, fumbling your hand into the cuff. If you have to start with gloves on, start with your fingertips a little bit away from the tips of the glove, put both glove's tips under your knees, and as the clock starts, just rip your hands out. Saves time.

Get everything down pat... check your air before you ever take the test, know the value and be ready to call that out (almost as if you didn't really look). Have anything that's verbal down to cue... don't think about it, it just slides out as your hands work.

If you're allowed, get yourself into a position hunched over the SCBA, so that when time is called, your arms are already through the straps (not touching), you can pull the thing up, read pressure, low air, pass, twist the knob, and have the thing going over your back in a couple seconds flat.

All sorts of tricks and tips to this one. Experiment, pay attention to what works for other guys.

Good luck.

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Originally Posted by THEFIRENUT

You forgot to mention....while chewing gum and whistling Dixie!!!

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With two saltine crackers!!!

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Originally Posted by AZFF25

Thanks for having my back!

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Anytime.....(stupid 10 character minimum)

Try putting gatorade bottles in your gloves over night too. My biggest challenge in getting the scba under 45 seconds was always my gloves, they took a good 10 seconds to get on. But once i got good gloves and got them worn in and loose I was able to do 32 seconds with the MSA packs my department uses. Also back when i took the fire academy at the local community college we used scott packs (which i think were a lot easier to do), and after learning some tricks on that me and another guy almost could throw them in under 20 seconds. That was using the overhead method from the ground. Now we do the coat throw.

Thanks for all of your great suggestions. I will be keeping those in mind in the following weeks as I start practicing this.