BY SCOTT A. McCRINDLE
Like most FIRE.departments across the nation, we annually confront an increasing fire protection area with a decreasing operational budget. Some of our department’s self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBAs) needed replacement because of wear and tear from years in service. To obtain as many new SCBAs as possible on a limited budget, we ordered new replacement SCBAs without the quick fill/buddy breather attachments for downed or trapped firefighters.
After reading “Buddy Breathing” (Roundtable, Fire Engineering, May 2002) on the use of emergency procedures, I had a dilemma. I am a firm believer in using the low-pressure mask supply hose for emergency SCBA procedures, which is what I was taught when I entered the fire service and what I still teach probationary firefighters during their orientation training. The Roundtable comments brought up some very good points. So I came up with a solution to address this problem until our budget allows us a better way to deal with the emergency SCBA dilemma.
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When I started in the fire service, Rescue Captain Patrick Wolf of Jonestown (PA) Fire and Rescue taught me what I needed to know to stay alive, and I pass on his instructions to my new probies. One of the most important rules was to adapt, improvise, and overcome any firefighting obstacles. The information below should help other fire departments with a shrinking operational budget find a temporary solution for the emergency SCBA pack problem.
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These ideas do not reflect the National Fire Protection Association’s or the manufacturer’s requirements for a qualified SCBA emergency pack but will give your members the best opportunity to survive in a bad situation until you can afford a better solution. Listed below are some steps to make your own emergency SCBA/RIT pack. It requires a safety-certified SCBA, a Phillips screwdriver, and a small hole punch.
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1. On a flat table, remove the SCBA bottle (photo 1).
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2. Remove the SCBA shoulder straps from the backpack and waist strap. DO NOT LOSE any screws, washers, or nuts (photos 2, 3).
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3. Remove the waist strap from the backpack frame, keeping the regulator attached. Attach the waist strap to the backpack frame; insert one screw with a washer and nut through the hole in the backpack frame and the grommet in the waist strap (photo 4).
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4. Unbolt the waist buckle locking button, and place the regulator on the other side of the waist strap. Then reattach the waist buckle locking button (photo 5).
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5. Your SCBA pack should look like the one in photos 6 and 7. Make sure your high-pressure line is on the bottom side of the regulator toward the bottom of the SCBA pack (photos 6, 7).
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6. Place your SCBA bottle on, and tighten the waist strap, making sure the high-pressure line is in a good position (photo 8).
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7. Bring the excess waist strap through the bottom of the pack as shown in photo 9. Put a hole in the center of the end of the waist strap—X marks the spot (arrow). Then place a screw with a washer through the hole, and tighten it down to the backpack. This provides a carrying strap (photo 9).
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It took 20 minutes to assemble these two completed RIT/emergency SCBA packs (photo 10). This firefighter is ready for a RIT/firefighter rescue (photo 11).
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SCOTT A. McCRINDLE is a division training chief with the Goshen (IN) Fire Department and a 14-year veteran of the fire service. Additionally, he serves as an administrative officer, a training instructor for the 52 full-time members, a safety officer, and a physical fitness coordinator for the department. He is an Indiana certified fire instructor II and III, an Indiana EMS extrication instructor, and an Indiana certified paramedic.
