FIR PPT

FIR 2302, Principles of Fire and Emergency Services Safety and Survival 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VI Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

8. Discuss how technology can produce higher levels of safety. 8.1 Recognize how technology and engineering can reduce injuries and illness and improve safety

and health. Required Unit Resources Chapter 8: Utilizing Available Technology Chapter 16: Engineering Safety into Equipment Unit Lesson

Introduction Please view the Unit VI Video. Closed captioning will be available once you access the video. As we continue to discuss ways to improve safety and health, we delve into the concepts of technology and engineering. Depending on when you started your career in the fire service, you may have seen drastic improvements and changes in technology and equipment. We will continue to see technology change at a rapid pace well into the 21st century (Center for Public Safety Excellence [CPSE] & International City/County Management Association [ICMA], 2020). If we evaluate the types of injuries, illnesses, and deaths that are experienced in the fire service, we can focus on making improvements that will have a direct benefit on safety and health. We must consider all facets of the work environment instead of solely focusing on the emergency incident scene. When we consider all the factors that make up a safe work environment, we must consider the fire station, fire apparatus, personal protective equipment, and tools and equipment. When we think of technology, we might immediately consider computers or other forms of electronics. However, technology is also responsible for improvements such as the change from a horse-drawn to a gas- powered fire apparatus and from steam-powered to engine-driven fire pumps. It was not that long ago that firefighters were responding to fires in an open cab fire apparatus wearing rubber coats and three-quarter boots. These types of improvements in technology and engineering highlight how many changes the fire and emergency service have made to safety and health.

Fire Station Depending on where you live and serve, you will see all kinds of fire stations. There are fire departments that have fire stations that are 100 or more years old and other fire departments that have all new construction. Some of the technological and engineering advancements to improve health and safety found in the fire station involve the reduction of exposure to harmful contaminants and carcinogens. Fire stations are being designed or renovated to include diesel exhaust removal systems. These systems are designed to directly ventilate products of combustion from the fire apparatus directly outside the building. In addition, a new trend is for fire stations to be designed or renovated to have a separate storage area for personal protective equipment. This area is separated from other areas of the fire station and is well-

UNIT VI STUDY GUIDE Incorporating Technology

FIR 2302, Principles of Fire and Emergency Services Safety and Survival 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title

ventilated. This equipment is used to launder firefighting turnout gear after emergency incidents and or periodically as recommended by the manufacturer. Another advancement in technology and engineering included in new construction and in some renovated fire stations is an automatic fire sprinkler system. If we are asking the public to consider improvements in their safety by installing residential sprinkler systems in the home, we should model that behavior by installing automatic sprinkler systems in every fire station. Who is better than the fire service to model and advocate for this lifesaving equipment?

Personal Protective Equipment Fire and emergency services personnel wear personal protective equipment to protect us from harmful contaminants in many different situations. This is not limited to the fireground but also includes technical rescue and emergency medical incidents. We were all impacted in some way by the COVID-19 pandemic. We may never have considered wearing an N95 mask to provide for our safety at a routine emergency medical services incident. Now, and as we move forward into an uncertain future, we must normalize the use of this type of equipment to provide for our safety and health. As with many innovations in PPE, it is not a new piece of equipment, but it is new in the sense of what is or should be required to protect responders from known and unknown threats. Firefighting turnout gear continues to improve in its ability to protect the firefighter from thermal insult, while also allowing better breathability to prevent overheating. These new engineering and technological advancements are typically adopted into the newest National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards for firefighting personal protective equipment. As previously mentioned, this turnout gear must be cleaned and maintained if it is to continue to perform in the way it was intended and designed. Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) is what we use to protect our respiratory system from atmospheres that are immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH). But there have been recent improvements in technology and engineering to the SCBA that are directly related to improving our survivability by improving our ability to operate safely in these environments without necessarily improving the initial technology. Some recent SCBA improvements include an integrated personal alert safety system (PASS) device, which is an integrated quick-fill device for rapid intervention-type rescue situations and heads-up display on the SCBA facepiece. Although these advancements improve our safety while operating at emergency incidents, they do not necessarily improve protection from the IDLH environment. The integrated PASS device was included in the operation of the SCBA to eliminate a firefighter having to don and activate a separate PASS device. The quick-fill device eliminates the need to remove the regulator and/or facepiece from a downed firefighter to augment their air supply. The heads-up display on the SCBA facepiece enables the firefighter to monitor their air supply continuously without having to refer to the remote gauge. All of these advancements improve safety and contribute to a firefighter’s confidence when operating in the IDLH. The advancements reduce air consumption and allow for prolonged operating times, which can improve safety and survivability for a firefighter and as well as the occupants of a structure on fire. Portable radios are another example of an existing technology that increases our ability to operate safely. In addition to improvements in the technology associated with the radio system, the availability of a portable radio for each firefighter improves safety and health. Incorporating technology such as emergency activation or panic buttons, which notify the dispatch center and others operating and/or commanding the incidents, improves safety. Personal protective equipment is also essential when operating at emergency incidents on active roadways. We are seeing numerous accidents, injuries, and fatalities involving first responders operating on roadways. The reflective striping on the turnout gear is designed to improve visibility, but it may not be enough to protect first responders from the dangers associated with operations on roads.

Fire Apparatus

FIR 2302, Principles of Fire and Emergency Services Safety and Survival 3

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title

Technological and engineering improvements in a fire apparatus are critical for safety. Advances such as audible and visual alarms for seatbelt compliance are critical, but let’s also consider some other improvements in technology and engineering that improve safety and reduce injuries. A fire apparatus is being designed with chevron striping to alert oncoming vehicles to the presence of a fire apparatus operating on roadways. Light-emitting diodes (LED) improve the visibility of emergency warning lights. Improvements in scene lighting enable firefighters and other responders to operate more safely at emergency incidents. An innovation in fire apparatus design is the clean cab concept. This concept is aimed at reducing the transfer of contaminants from the fire scene to the fire apparatus and then to the personnel. It is important for firefighters to reduce their exposure on the fireground and do everything possible to minimize the chances of these contaminants finding their way inside the apparatus cab and back to the firehouse (Bator & Eaton, 2018). The clean cab concept reduces the exposure to contaminants that continue off-gassing long after the fire operations are complete. There have been improvements in design to help reduce injuries as well as illness. Some of these innovations include improvements in accessing ground ladders and hose beds. Performing a simple task such as accessing a hose or ground ladder can lead directly to a back injury, which can plague a firefighter throughout their career.

Fireground Tactics One area where we are seeing drastic improvements in safety and health is in fireground tactics. Take some time to review the abundance of information about new and emerging research from the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) website, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) website, and the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) website. FRSI also has a YouTube channel where you can find informative videos that explore research being done to improve firefighter safety and health.

Conclusion By no means is this an exhaustive list of improvements. This is merely a list of examples of how technology and engineering can improve safety and health. We must continue to innovate. We must create a culture of innovation by using data and analytics, encouraging professional development, and creating a collaborative environment with stakeholders (CPSE & ICMA, 2020).

References Bator, C., & Eaton, S. A. (2018, December). The “clean cab concept” becomes a reality. Fire Engineering,

171(12), 45–49. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?dire ct=true&db=tsh&AN=133590428&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Center for Public Safety Excellence & International City/County Management Association. (2020). 21st

century fire and emergency services [White paper]. https://www.cpse.org/wp- content/uploads/2020/07/21st-Century-Fire-and-Emergency-Services-White-Paper-Final-07.15.20.pdf

FIR 2302, Principles of Fire and Emergency Services Safety and Survival 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VI Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

8. Discuss how technology can produce higher levels of safety. 8.1 Recognize how technology and engineering can reduce injuries and illness and improve safety

and health. Required Unit Resources Chapter 8: Utilizing Available Technology Chapter 16: Engineering Safety into Equipment Unit Lesson

Introduction Please view the Unit VI Video. Closed captioning will be available once you access the video. As we continue to discuss ways to improve safety and health, we delve into the concepts of technology and engineering. Depending on when you started your career in the fire service, you may have seen drastic improvements and changes in technology and equipment. We will continue to see technology change at a rapid pace well into the 21st century (Center for Public Safety Excellence [CPSE] & International City/County Management Association [ICMA], 2020). If we evaluate the types of injuries, illnesses, and deaths that are experienced in the fire service, we can focus on making improvements that will have a direct benefit on safety and health. We must consider all facets of the work environment instead of solely focusing on the emergency incident scene. When we consider all the factors that make up a safe work environment, we must consider the fire station, fire apparatus, personal protective equipment, and tools and equipment. When we think of technology, we might immediately consider computers or other forms of electronics. However, technology is also responsible for improvements such as the change from a horse-drawn to a gas- powered fire apparatus and from steam-powered to engine-driven fire pumps. It was not that long ago that firefighters were responding to fires in an open cab fire apparatus wearing rubber coats and three-quarter boots. These types of improvements in technology and engineering highlight how many changes the fire and emergency service have made to safety and health.

Fire Station Depending on where you live and serve, you will see all kinds of fire stations. There are fire departments that have fire stations that are 100 or more years old and other fire departments that have all new construction. Some of the technological and engineering advancements to improve health and safety found in the fire station involve the reduction of exposure to harmful contaminants and carcinogens. Fire stations are being designed or renovated to include diesel exhaust removal systems. These systems are designed to directly ventilate products of combustion from the fire apparatus directly outside the building. In addition, a new trend is for fire stations to be designed or renovated to have a separate storage area for personal protective equipment. This area is separated from other areas of the fire station and is well-

UNIT VI STUDY GUIDE Incorporating Technology

FIR 2302, Principles of Fire and Emergency Services Safety and Survival 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title

ventilated. This equipment is used to launder firefighting turnout gear after emergency incidents and or periodically as recommended by the manufacturer. Another advancement in technology and engineering included in new construction and in some renovated fire stations is an automatic fire sprinkler system. If we are asking the public to consider improvements in their safety by installing residential sprinkler systems in the home, we should model that behavior by installing automatic sprinkler systems in every fire station. Who is better than the fire service to model and advocate for this lifesaving equipment?

Personal Protective Equipment Fire and emergency services personnel wear personal protective equipment to protect us from harmful contaminants in many different situations. This is not limited to the fireground but also includes technical rescue and emergency medical incidents. We were all impacted in some way by the COVID-19 pandemic. We may never have considered wearing an N95 mask to provide for our safety at a routine emergency medical services incident. Now, and as we move forward into an uncertain future, we must normalize the use of this type of equipment to provide for our safety and health. As with many innovations in PPE, it is not a new piece of equipment, but it is new in the sense of what is or should be required to protect responders from known and unknown threats. Firefighting turnout gear continues to improve in its ability to protect the firefighter from thermal insult, while also allowing better breathability to prevent overheating. These new engineering and technological advancements are typically adopted into the newest National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards for firefighting personal protective equipment. As previously mentioned, this turnout gear must be cleaned and maintained if it is to continue to perform in the way it was intended and designed. Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) is what we use to protect our respiratory system from atmospheres that are immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH). But there have been recent improvements in technology and engineering to the SCBA that are directly related to improving our survivability by improving our ability to operate safely in these environments without necessarily improving the initial technology. Some recent SCBA improvements include an integrated personal alert safety system (PASS) device, which is an integrated quick-fill device for rapid intervention-type rescue situations and heads-up display on the SCBA facepiece. Although these advancements improve our safety while operating at emergency incidents, they do not necessarily improve protection from the IDLH environment. The integrated PASS device was included in the operation of the SCBA to eliminate a firefighter having to don and activate a separate PASS device. The quick-fill device eliminates the need to remove the regulator and/or facepiece from a downed firefighter to augment their air supply. The heads-up display on the SCBA facepiece enables the firefighter to monitor their air supply continuously without having to refer to the remote gauge. All of these advancements improve safety and contribute to a firefighter’s confidence when operating in the IDLH. The advancements reduce air consumption and allow for prolonged operating times, which can improve safety and survivability for a firefighter and as well as the occupants of a structure on fire. Portable radios are another example of an existing technology that increases our ability to operate safely. In addition to improvements in the technology associated with the radio system, the availability of a portable radio for each firefighter improves safety and health. Incorporating technology such as emergency activation or panic buttons, which notify the dispatch center and others operating and/or commanding the incidents, improves safety. Personal protective equipment is also essential when operating at emergency incidents on active roadways. We are seeing numerous accidents, injuries, and fatalities involving first responders operating on roadways. The reflective striping on the turnout gear is designed to improve visibility, but it may not be enough to protect first responders from the dangers associated with operations on roads.

Fire Apparatus

FIR 2302, Principles of Fire and Emergency Services Safety and Survival 3

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title

Technological and engineering improvements in a fire apparatus are critical for safety. Advances such as audible and visual alarms for seatbelt compliance are critical, but let’s also consider some other improvements in technology and engineering that improve safety and reduce injuries. A fire apparatus is being designed with chevron striping to alert oncoming vehicles to the presence of a fire apparatus operating on roadways. Light-emitting diodes (LED) improve the visibility of emergency warning lights. Improvements in scene lighting enable firefighters and other responders to operate more safely at emergency incidents. An innovation in fire apparatus design is the clean cab concept. This concept is aimed at reducing the transfer of contaminants from the fire scene to the fire apparatus and then to the personnel. It is important for firefighters to reduce their exposure on the fireground and do everything possible to minimize the chances of these contaminants finding their way inside the apparatus cab and back to the firehouse (Bator & Eaton, 2018). The clean cab concept reduces the exposure to contaminants that continue off-gassing long after the fire operations are complete. There have been improvements in design to help reduce injuries as well as illness. Some of these innovations include improvements in accessing ground ladders and hose beds. Performing a simple task such as accessing a hose or ground ladder can lead directly to a back injury, which can plague a firefighter throughout their career.

Fireground Tactics One area where we are seeing drastic improvements in safety and health is in fireground tactics. Take some time to review the abundance of information about new and emerging research from the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) website, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) website, and the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) website. FRSI also has a YouTube channel where you can find informative videos that explore research being done to improve firefighter safety and health.

Conclusion By no means is this an exhaustive list of improvements. This is merely a list of examples of how technology and engineering can improve safety and health. We must continue to innovate. We must create a culture of innovation by using data and analytics, encouraging professional development, and creating a collaborative environment with stakeholders (CPSE & ICMA, 2020).

References Bator, C., & Eaton, S. A. (2018, December). The “clean cab concept” becomes a reality. Fire Engineering,

171(12), 45–49. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?dire ct=true&db=tsh&AN=133590428&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Center for Public Safety Excellence & International City/County Management Association. (2020). 21st

century fire and emergency services [White paper]. https://www.cpse.org/wp- content/uploads/2020/07/21st-Century-Fire-and-Emergency-Services-White-Paper-Final-07.15.20.pdf