Hot Topics - Firefighting Tactics

When it comes to situational awareness, it helps to distinguish two areas: On one hand, the entire fireground – the awareness between deployed teams and their incident commander. And on the other hand, the awareness within the firefighter teams.

Data can improve your results in several steps of the process. Portable gas detection solutions, for example, measure hazards and send alerts. Modern communication technology lets you share the information with your team. And a monitoring system for your SCBA does both.

Connectivity is key in every safe and successful rescue mission. How do you deploy it accordingly in incident locations that are bigger and more complex?

In North Kensington, a district of West London, a fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block. It caused 72 deaths, including those of two victims that died later in hospital. One major reason for this – despite firefighters reaching high up floors – was that residents were unable to exit their flats because of toxic fumes. Branislav Lukic, a survivor of the Grenfell fire: ”It was very difficult to survive in those conditions, another breath and it could be the last one."

Compressed Air Rescue Solutions, like the Dräger Rescue Hood, connect to the SCBA of the firefighter and supply the victim with breathable air. The air is independent from the ambient air and delivers a constant oxygen level. However, it must be taken into consideration that such a device uses the breathing air from the firefighter’s SCBA, in turn reducing the operational time. The rescue hood also requires a continuous physical connection between the firefighter and the person being rescued, because of the hose between the hood and the SCBA.

A further option for a Compressed Air Rescue Solution is the Dräger Rescue Pack System RPS 3500. The unit supplies breathing air from a separate compressed air source which is not physically linked with the firefighter’s SCBA. This offers the advantage that it does not use the air reservoir of the firefighter’s SCBA and doesn’t restrict his freedom of movement. The Dräger RPS 3500 can be equipped with a Dräger full face mask or the Dräger PSS Rescue Hood.

Fire Escape Solutions, like the Dräger PARAT 5500, allow the firefighter and the victim to move independently from one another – unlike the Dräger PSS Rescue Hood, where a physical connection is required. To prevent any harm from toxic gases and substances, these devices have an integrated gas and particle filter, which filter the harmful substances out of the ambient air. The device protects the victim for a minimum of 15 minutes. A filtering escape hood does not affect the firefighter’s air supply or operational time. But it relies on sufficient oxygen in the ambient air, which is normally no problem – because where there’s fire, there’s oxygen.

Communication is important for any team, but for firefighters and first responders it can be life-saving. The Team Talk function of the Dräger FPS®-COM 7000 lets up to 10 team members in full PPE to clearly and easily communicate – which means better teamwork and improved safety.

Voice-activated keeps both hands free. Digital noise reduction technology automatically suppresses background noise, including breathing noises. For wireless connection to the incident commander, just press a button to operate a radio that can be connected via a cable or Bluetooth.

The FPS-COM 7000 is compatible with more than 350 tactical radios, so it’s a good fit for virtually all fire departments. C7 configuration software lets you adjust settings to do such things as automatically relay incoming calls to teammates. You can mount the unit to the FPS 7000 facemask without any tools, and the smart battery life reduces maintenance and costs.