Question: After salvage and overhaul are completed, do you conduct atmospheric monitoring before allowing property owners, fire investigators, and others to enter the structure? What gases do you monitor? What levels does your department consider permissible for entry without SCBA?
We have progressed as a profession … or have we? We have made great strides relating to health and safety in the past few decades. We are learning more about the contaminants in smoke and the adverse effects of inhaling smoke. We know what is bad for us, but how many of us always protect ourselves and our fellow firefighters?
My former department implemented a “Mandatory Mask Policy” in 1988. At that time, the average life expectancy of a firefighter in the United States was 57 years. In fact, as chief of training then, I wrote the original policy. We figured we would add 10 years onto the lives of the recruits hired that year. As far as the old-timers who had not used an SCBA at all times up until that time were concerned, hopefully, they were the last of a “dying breed” (pardon the pun).
Around 2006, Toledo instituted what the troops affectionately called “All maskall the time.” In essence, SCBAs were to be used any time a firefighter was in a building that contained or could contain smoke, even during overhaul. Another policy required a fire crew to go back into the fire building one hour after the last crew left the scene to check for hot spots. When back in the building involved in fire, crews had to don SCBAs and put them in service as they checked for any hot spots. With the “All maskall the time” policy, we rarely monitor the air quality, because we do not enter any atmosphere that contains smoke without the use of an SCBA.
John “Skip” Coleman retired as assistant chief from the Toledo (OH) Department of Fire and Rescue. He is a technical editor of Fire Engineering; a member of the FDIC Educational Advisory Board; and author of Incident Management for the Street-Smart Fire Officer (Fire Engineering, 1997), Managing Major Fires (Fire Engineering, 2000), and Incident Management for the Street-Smart Fire Officer, Second Edition (Fire Engineering, 2008).
Ron Hiraki, assistant chief,
Gig Harbor (WA) Fire & Medic One
Response: We conduct atmospheric monitoring before allowing people to enter the structure without personal protective equipment (PPE) and SCBA. Our air monitors check for oxygen, combustible gases, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen sulfide gases. The monitor gives audible and visual warning signals when the sample is outside of the recommended safe range. When the air contains less than 19.5 percent or more than 23 percent of oxygen, the warning signal is activated. Pentane is used for the combustible gases standard; the monitor signals at 10 percent of the lower explosive limit (LEL). More than 35 percent carbon monoxide or more than 10 parts per million (ppm) of hydrogen sulfide in the air triggers a warning.
We are preparing to upgrade our air monitors to a model that will sample more than four gases. Additionally, our air-monitoring capabilities will be compatible with county hazmat operations.
In addition to gases, our members are trained to be aware that “ordinary” particulates such as dust, dirt, and sawdust can pose health problems. We have a number of newer homes in our area with decks made of pressure-treated lumber or recycled plastic. Many homes use a siding made with concrete. Overhauling the deck material or siding with a chain saw and then breathing in the dust is probably not good for health. A good particle mask is an inexpensive option for such a situation. However, a particle mask does not protect firefighters from gases, fumes, or microfine particulates such as asbestos.
Gary Seidel, chief,
Hillsboro (OR) Fire Department
Response: During the mop-up and overhaul operations, the incident commander (IC) ensures that companies monitor the atmosphere within the hazardous area and restrict entry if a hazardous atmosphere or an oxygen deficiency is detected. To monitor conditions in the hazardous area, members must wear their SCBA when entering. Entry must be done with regard for the safety of all personnel. It is important to establish objectives that include the following:
- Establish that airborne hazards exist or potentially exist.
- Locate and delineate areas of high concentration of the released materials.
- Verify preliminary or existing information with respect to the nature of the release.
- Establish boundaries for the site-control zones based on observations of the current location and potential movement of the released materials.
- Collect information related to the specific protective measures and equipment response personnel need.
Our personnel carry the four-in-one-gas monitors on all apparatus. They are equipped with dual audible and visual alarms set in the factory. The unit’s alarms are set to activate at combustibles at or above 10 percent of the lower flammable limit (LFL); oxygen below 19 percent or above 22 percent; 10 ppm hydrogen sulfide; and 35 ppm carbon monoxide.
Our standard operating procedures (SOPs) require SCBA and full turnouts in a hazardous atmosphere during overhaul and mop-up if the carbon monoxide (CO) reading is at or above 35 ppm. If no hazards are detected during the mop-up and overhaul phase, then members may proceed without their SCBA, provided continuous monitoring is done while inside operations are underway. However, members usually wear the N95 filter mask, APR or PAPR, as appropriate. In addition, we have recently started CO-oximeter monitoring of our firefighters assigned to rehabilitation. It is also assumed that proper ventilation efforts will be continued throughout the operation or as deemed necessary.
Craig H. Shelley, fire protection advisor,
Saudi Arabia
Response: Our department does not have a procedure for monitoring air at structural fires. Since we are an industrial department, we monitor our industrial settings during and after operations. Although hazardous gases may be burned to the atmosphere during a hydrocarbon fire, it does not mean that unsafe areas adjacent to the immediate fire area are safe. Air monitoring should be performed continuously. Many times there is collateral damage in an industrial incident that may create a situation equal to or more hazardous than the original fire. Commanders must not have tunnel vision and must maintain situational awareness.
Gas leaks may render an area unsafe for operations. A sudden wind shift may endanger the command post. Monitoring of the atmosphere is a must. After a fire has been extinguished, residual gases in the area of a pipe flange may still be leaking even though valves have been isolated. The fire or catastrophic incident could have damaged the valves. Continuous monitoring after the incident is necessary. Include the results of the monitoring in the incident action plan. Our company’s monitors are calibrated to monitor oxygen levels, combustible gases, and hydrogen sulfide. Alarms for oxygen register at 20.0 percent (low) and 23.5 percent (high); LEL alarms at 10 percent; and hydrogen sulfide at 10 ppm. If alarms are sounded, the IC stops operations and reevaluates the situation to ensure the safety of the firefighting and support forces.
Thomas Dunne, deputy chief,
Fire Department of New York
Response: We do not have specific atmospheric parameters to determine when tenants or other nonemergency personnel can reenter a fire building. The IC determines when to allow them inside.
CO levels, construction characteristics, fire damage, and even weather conditions must all be considered in determining how long this takes. Hot, humid weather prolongs the ventilation process. We consider CO readings of more than 9 ppm hazardous, but strict reliance on a CO meter can be deceiving because it won’t account for the particulate matter that stays airborne for some time.
Nonessential personnel are not allowed back into our buildings until well after overhaul is completed. Our primary challenge is protecting firefighters from contaminants during the overhaul process. CO monitoring, SCBA use, and frequent relief of personnel are the keys to accomplishing this.
There is never a good reason to rush anyone back into a fire building without SCBA. The longer a fire scene sits undisturbed, the better it is vented and the more it is stabilized. By the time we allow owners or investigators into a structure, they should face no danger greater than a wet floor.
Bobby Shelton, firefighter,
Cincinnati (OH) Fire Department
Response: We do not monitor for CO levels once extinguishment has been completed. I think it should be done because of the cumulative effects of CO poisoning as well as the other toxics present after extinguishment. On all reported fires in our city, one of the two heavy rescue/hazmat companies responds with enough meters to thoroughly monitor the environment. The rescue company is part of the firefighting effort, not serving in a hazmat capacity. Every engine company carries a CO meter, and every ladder company carries a four-gas meter, so there is absolutely no reason for not monitoring the air post-incident.
Departments that carry air-monitoring devices should routinely monitor the air after a fire and before overhaul, to determine whether SCBA can be removed. Just about every fire department I know of makes CO runs. Generally, the action level starts between 25 and 35 ppm. Above 35 ppm, we call the gas company, obviously evacuate the structure, ventilate, and may even call the Health Department. We then tell the occupants not to reenter the structure until it is “clear.” So, why are we willingly going into a structure with 10 times or greater the CO action level without SCBA? Is it for expediency? What is an extra 10- or 15-minute wait going to hurt while the structure is rendered safe? What is more important than our health and well-being? It is the responsibility of fire administrators, chief officers, and company officers to set the tone for their respective departments. It is their responsibility to be as safety conscious as possible. Air monitoring after a fire may seem to be a small thing, but it is a big thing. Anything less is unacceptable.
Jim Mason, lieutenant,
Chicago (IL) Fire Department
Response: We do a few things to ensure that the fire building is safe before allowing anyone other than fire suppression to enter. First, we ventilate the structure effectively to get the products of combustion outside. We use horizontal and vertical ventilation, as well as hydraulic means, to clear gases or smoke“total ventilation” of the building. Everything that needs to get opened up does.
If an occupancy does not allow for a standard ventilation operation, such as a commercial basement where the firefighters will be working, we use meters to monitor the atmosphere before anyone is allowed to remove their air masks. The monitoring is for carbon monoxide and oxygen levels and combustibility. Fans are used to remove any remaining products of the burning process before allowing persons without air masks to enter. The levels inside buildings are brought to near normal air before the companies leave the scene and others can enter without masks.
Elby Bushong III, deputy chief,
Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department
Response: Performing property loss control is a mark toward excellence in service delivery and includes salvage, overhaul, and occupant services. We do not typically conduct atmospheric monitoring during property loss-control efforts, and we must always perform salvage and overhaul safely. Using early and continuing positive-pressure ventilation (PPV) helps maintain an acceptable working environment. Proper loss-control operations should be completed prior to any property owner/occupant walk-through or allowing occupants to remove personal possessions and valuables; boxing and removing these items for them is excellent customer service. We usually arrange this through our Occupant Services Sector after approval from Command or fire investigators.
Our fire investigators do not have SCBAs; they use their discretion relative to the need for wearing a respirator or particle mask when determining the cause and origin of a fire. Command and the company officer determine the type of PPE firefighters wear, including SCBAs with face pieces if necessary. If the atmosphere is determined to be safe, wearing particle masks or nothing is acceptable.
In the past, we used safety officers on-scene to monitor CO; 35 ppm was considered an acceptable level. This was a time-weighted average over an eight-hour workday. Since firefighting and property loss-control activities don’t last that long, we use 50 ppm as the maximum acceptable level for operating without an SCBA during salvage and overhaul. All of our hazmat trucks, squads, and technical operations apparatus can monitor CO and hydrogen sulfide.
Marty Hamrick, captain,
Jonesboro (AR) Fire & Rescue
Response: We monitor post-fire conditions for CO and hydrocyanic acid (HCN). Fire crews are not allowed to operate without SCBA during overhaul unless the air is at safe levels [less than 9 ppm for CO and less than 4.7 ppm for HCN per Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) limits]. We implemented this policy the first of the year, and it seems to be yielding some benefits: Crews don’t complain of headaches nearly as much. Also, the long-term benefits will be well worth the “trouble” of making sure that the air is safe to breathe.
Joel A. Holbrook, lieutenant,
Washington Twp. (OH) Fire Department
Response: Our department does not have an air-monitoring policy for the fireground; however, it has become common practice among the command staff to monitor the air prior to giving the order to doff the SCBA. Typically, once the fire is extinguished and the crews have implemented PPV, we begin the monitoring process. We are unable to monitor for the hydrogen cyanides, phosgenes, and other by-products of the synthetics used in common household materials. We can monitor oxygen and hydrogen sulfide and the lower explosive limits (LELs) of methane-based gases. So our main focus is on the CO and O2 levels. Typically, crews may not come off SCBA and fire investigators/property owners will not be allowed into the structure until the CO levels are 9 ppm or less and the O2 level is 20 percent or greater.
James Cleveland, assistant chief,
Prichard/Murray (ID) Volunteer Fire Department
Response: Within our small department, all of our atmospheric monitoring equipment is on our rescue apparatus. This unit sometimes makes fires and sometimes does not, thus the equipment is not always available. This means we do not always have the capability to monitor conditions following a fire. Another consideration here is older operating procedures that do not specify or necessitate the wearing of breathing apparatus once smoke conditions are thought to be minimal. This could be a bad combination, but our personnel have been made aware of the danger, and our officers and personnel do a good job of self-policing. Especially when atmospheric monitoring is not available, our personnel tend to remain in breathing apparatus long after smoke conditions improve, often until the incident is terminated. This type of self-regulation would be difficult, if not impossible, with a larger organization, but it is rarely a problem for our small, close-knit group of volunteers.
Bill Middlemiss, chief,
Lexington (MA) Fire Department
Response: Our department does not permit the removal of SCBA in any room of a fire building without monitoring for CO and cyanide. The incident safety officer does the initial monitoring; monitoring is continuous during overhaul and investigation proceedings. Our standard operating guidelines (SOGs) state that company officers, with the approval of a senior officer, decide when to remove the SCBA, based on an evaluation of atmospheric conditions. “Prior to removal, fire areas shall be thoroughly ventilated and, where necessary, continuous ventilation shall be provided.”
If there is any doubt about respiratory safety, SCBA use is maintained until testing determines the atmosphere to be safe: carbon monoxide concentration below 50 ppm and hydrogen cyanide concentration below 4.7 ppm. Safety sector personnel or the IC is responsible for this determination. Monitoring shall remain constant after the initial results are determined.
Brian Zaitz, firefighter/paramedic,
Metro West (MO) Fire Protection District
Response: We conduct the two simultaneously, if possible. As salvage operations are beginning, we try to send a four-gas detector in with the crews to determine initial air quality. It describes the surrounding conditions for the initial salvage team and the conditions at initial ventilation for Command, allowing for constant updating. This is the most reliable way to determine if ventilation is expelling toxic gases and replacing them with fresh air. It is paramount that we remember that just because the smoke is clear does not necessarily indicate the environment is safe to breathe. With today’s modern day products and the use of synthetics, firefighters must not become complacent and revert to old-style thinking: Once the fire is out, off comes the mask. We do not allow homeowners and other civilian employees in the structure until air quality is safe and potential hazards such as hot objects or sharp debris have been removed. CO levels must be below 35 ppm; oxygen levels must be at 19.5 percent or higher.
Mike Bucy, assistant chief,
Portage (IN) Fire Department
Response: Our department monitors atmospheric levels using our basic four-gas meters. Although the meters don’t address all probable hazards, we tell our firefighters to look mainly at the O2 levels. The O2 level should be in its “normal” rangeanything less would be a problem. Although we can’t tell what displaced the O2, we at least know there is something there other than the O2. It would be nice to have a monitor that detects all the possible hazards, but this won’t happen, especially in the industrialized part of Indiana.
Richard Wilson, lieutenant,
Bartlett (IL) Fire District
Response: Most of the time, we monitor the scene after the fire has been extinguished. As we are continuing to expand (opening a new fire station, initiating new policies and procedures, and bringing in new hires), we will strive toward making 100-percent compliance an issue. Our chief officers do not want to see firefighters overcome by immediately dangerous to life and health atmospheres when we have the tools on our apparatus to warn us. With all we have learned about the products of combustion and what is really burning, we should never remove our SCBA masks until the monitors indicate that the levels of contaminants are in an acceptable range. We must also make sure that the monitors are calibrated and used as recommended and make sure they are not stored near combustibles, which would affect their accuracy.
Bill Randall, captain,
Red, White and Blue Fire District,
Breckenridge, CO
Response: Our department has recently adopted an SOG related to atmosphere monitoring after a structure fire. Firefighters may remove their SCBAs when the CO level is below 30 ppm. We are considering a one-time-use gas sensor that can be attached to a firefighter and that detects gases such as hydrogen cyanide. A disposable gas card that changes colors when exposed to specific gases is much cheaper than adding different sensors into gas detectors.
Soot and other particulates are also concerns; therefore, we also use respirators until the safety officer and Command have determined the atmosphere is safe. Considering the fact that we take such steps to ensure the atmosphere is safe for the firefighters, investigators and other parties entering the building should also be safe.
Mike Newbury, captain,
St. Louis (MO) Fire Department
Response: We do not monitor, but we should. Most, if not all, of our engines and trucks have a gas meter. Some have four-gas (LEL, O2, CO, and SO2); some have five-gas meters.
It would not be that hard to mandate and enforce a policy of “no entry to the building without full PPE until the meter says okay.” This is not to put air monitoring above overhaul. Do your job first; wear your PPE until the IC sends the air-monitoring team to get readings.
This will meet with some consternation in some groups of traditionaliststhe usual “just let me do my job” or the “I can hack it; we’ve gone without this for years; why do we need it now?”
I get it, but I’m looking at the fact that the rate of cancer and lung disease fell after the standardization and use of SCBAs. Firefighters who use their SCBAs live to enjoy their pensions. I urge all departments to monitor the atmosphere before admitting the public or anyone without full PPE into the structure.
