NIOSH Firefighter Program Addresses Training Issues
Two new safety and health advisory documents from NIOSH’s Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP) address the use of self-containing breathing apparatus with Bluetooth radio accessories (PDF) and the challenges of responding to fires in oxygen-limiting silos (PDF). Both documents are related to reports of serious injuries or deaths that occurred due to lack of firefighter training and education on these topics.
The first document responds to an incident in which a fire crew using SCBAs equipped with a Bluetooth radio communication system entered a structure above an active basement fire. The crew’s fire department had been testing the new communication system, but only some companies had been trained in its use. As the firefighters entered the structure, the floor collapsed, and three firefighters fell into the basement. A mayday call went unheard, delaying the arrival of a rescue team. “It is believed that the portable radio and SCBA used by the detailed officer were not paired as the officer was not trialing its use,” NIOSH states.
The advisory document urges fire departments to train all firefighters on the SCBA models they will use while working in environments considered immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH). This includes pairing and troubleshooting Bluetooth radio accessories, confirming Bluetooth pairing, and understanding equipment features that indicate connection status.
The second advisory discusses the explosion of an oxygen-limiting silo at a lumber mill that killed two firefighters and injured 13 others. Oxygen-limiting or “sealed” silos prevent outside air from coming into contact with the structure’s contents. This creates an oxygen-deficient environment inside the silo, NIOSH explains. Common hazards associated with oxygen-limiting silos include combustible dust explosions and the release of flammable gases produced by the fermentation of organic materials.
Firefighters responding to a fire in an oxygen-limiting silo should refrain from using conventional firefighting tactics, NIOSH warns, as introducing water or foam to the silo may produce dust clouds, introduce air, and unintentionally create the conditions for an explosion. In some situations, simply closing the silo’s hatches for a month may result in the fire safely smothering itself, since the oxygen-limiting environment hinders combustion. But silo fires may burn slowly for days, weeks, or even months, giving firefighters time to collect information about the silo type and its contents and form a plan for extinguishing the fire. NIOSH instructs fire departments to develop pre-incident plans for silos in their jurisdiction and train with the employees of facilities with silos.
The advisory documents on using SCBA Bluetooth radio accessories and fires and explosions in oxygen-limiting silos may be downloaded from the NIOSH website.