Welcome back to another edition of the Mayday Monday Firefighter Survival Campaign. We are half way through 2022 and as of this writing there have been 56 firefighters killed in the line of duty. Our thoughts go out to all those affected by their loss.

We dedicate this month’s Mayday Monday to Firefighter Daniel Groover of the Houston (TX) Fire Department (HFD). Firefighter Groover died while battling a house fire on July 9, 2014. You can read about the incident in these 2 reports:

This excerpt from the NIOSH report from FF Groover’s incident emphasizes the importance of knowing your SCBA and your capabilities:

Recommendation #3: Fire departments should ensure that fire fighters understand the operational characteristics of their SCBA and other life safety devices.

Firefighter Groover had 21 years with the HFD at the time of this fire, but not 21 years of firefighting experience. He spent most of his time working as a paramedic with the busy fire department. Was he comfortable with his SCBA? Intimately familiar? The NIOSH report provides several scenarios for this fire. Here is one of them:

Possible scenarios. (1) FF1 was found unconscious and unresponsive on the second floor with his facepiece partially dislodged and helmet off. It is not known why his helmet was off and his facepiece dislodged but one possibility is that the fire fighter attempted to remove his facepiece (shedding the helmet) and was exposed to products of combustion due to an SCBA or out-of-air emergency. The cylinder was later discovered to have approximately 500 psi of air remaining.

When the self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) was introduced into the fire service, it changed how firefighters did business. It allows us to go places most unprotected humans cannot survive. When we become an unprotected human due to our unfamiliarity, or lack of comfort using this valuable tool, it can be the difference between life and death. The best way to increase our comfort level is to train!

This month’s skill/drill: SCBA SHAKE AND BAKE- a favorite here at Mayday Monday. The objective of the evolution is to increase your familiarity and comfort with the SCBA. To set this up, get an SCBA for each participant. In a remote area, break the SCBA into its various components and “hide” them. Activate the PASS devices and have the members search for the components. Once they have located the parts, they are to assemble and don the SCBA. When completed, they should exit as a crew. You can add stress to this drill by including empty cylinders so the participants will need to buddy breathe. Another stress inducer is to play loud music or noise during the drill. Now, go get intimate with your SCBA.

Please check out my talk with Houston District Chief Clyde Gordon about this incident and the impact to his career. See you next month. Train to live—live to train.

Tony Carroll is deputy chief of operations with the Louisa County (VA) Fire & EMS Department.  

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