Senator Schumer Calls for Checking PASS Devices

ONEONTA, NEW YORK -- A safety device integrated into standard firefighting equipment may not always work, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, said Wednesday.

Schumer unveiled a plan for individual federal inspections of an emergency-alarm system built into air packs used by firefighters during interior attacks.

The Personal Alert Safety System sounds a shrill tone to help other firefighters find a colleague in trouble. All fire departments in the state have the devices, he said during a conference call with reporters.

"When firefighters are injured, trapped or can't move, this is a lifesaving device," Schumer said.

But in Oneida earlier this year, a device worn by a firefighter battling a bowling alley blaze malfunctioned after a roof collapsed on top of him, Schumer said.

"He suffered grave injuries, but he was rescued alive," Schumer said. There have been 15 firefighter deaths nationwide in the last decade after PASS devices failed under routine heat and water conditions, he said.

"No one's really sure why these devices are prone to malfunctioning," he said.

Oneonta Fire Chief Robert Barnes said the PASS device sounds after a firefighter is motionless for 30 seconds. If no motion is detected after another 15 seconds, the device sounds continuously. The device may also be activated manually if a firefighter finds himself in trouble, he said.

Although there have been no instances where the PASS devices are known to have saved a life in this area, Barnes said they have been used by firefighters who became disoriented while fighting a fire.

Barnes said the Oneonta Fire Department tests and trains with the PASS devices regularly and he knows of no issues with their reliability.

Schumer is lobbying the U.S. Fire Administration to work with the National Institute of Science and Technology and the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety to inspect all PASS devices before they are sold. This, he said, can be accomplished because the air packs are inspected before they are sold.

These same federal agencies should also inspect PASS devices in use to see if they meet safety standards set this year, Schumer said.

Manufacturers of PASS devices should also produce new units that comply with the standards as quickly as possible, Schumer said.

Cost is an obstacle to replacing airpacks equipped with PASS or to replace the PASS devices is cost, Schumer said.

Air packs cost about $3,000 each, and the PASS units by themselves cost $200, he said. The inspections would not have a significant cost, Schumer said.

The air packs have a service life of 15 to 20 years, and it could be decades before faulty PASS devices are purged from the field, Schumer said.

"The bottom line is we have to protect our protectors," Schumer said.