September 2012 Fire Training
MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY
Practice Size-up
6301 Penny Lane
290 E. Roy Barnes Rd.
Why are we here?
• Upcoming MAYDAY training with CFD
• Introduction/Refresher to communications
• Tying it all together
• Accountability
• Incident Command
• Initial Engine Company Operations
• Fire Behavior
• Apparatus Staging
• Radio Discipline
• 2012 LODD – 52 firefighters total
A firefighters survivability
in the hazard zone, is
totally dependent on an
effective size-up and
managing air supply
BCFPD-CFD Joint Training
October Fire Training
• Scenario Based on
Managing the MAYDAY
– Air management
techniques
– Incident Command
responsibilities
– Crew resource
responsibilities
Reasons for Firefighter Deaths and Injuries
• Poor size-up (Primary and Secondary)
• Improper tactical decisions
• Failure to recognize rapidly deteriorating
conditions
– Lightweight building construction
– Increased fire load
• Lack of strong Incident Command
• Freelancing
• Lack of training
Changing Fire Conditions
• How will changing fire conditions
contribute to a firefighter Mayday
situation?
• NIST studies
• Underwriters Laboratories
– What are these studies telling us?
When are Mayday’s occurring?
• First crew inside the structure
– What potential issues does this scenario have?
• Overhaul
– What about this scenario?
Notable Events
Brett Tarver
Southwest
Supermarket
Kyle Wilson
Prince William County
Virginia
Hackensack
New Jersey
Charleston Sofa
Super Store
Hackensack Ford
July 1, 1988
• 14:59 – Initial Dispatch
• 15:08 – Ladder company
ordered to vent the roof.
• 15:09 – Observed “brown
smoke” in the attic.
• 15:22 – “Fire in the vent hole”
• 15:34 – Crews ordered to “back
your lines out”
• 15:36 Bowstring Arch Truss
Collapse
–
–
–
–
–
Captain Richard Williams
Lieutenant Richard Reinhagen
Firefighter William Krejsa
Firefighter Leonard Radumski
Firefighter Stephen Ennis
• At 15:39, Lieutenant Reinhagen began to radio
his location and appeal for help
• 15:42 – “You have to hurry, we’re running out
of air.”
• Dispatch radioed the Incident Commander
(Chief Williams) with no response.
• Over the next 6 minutes, Reinhagen made 10
more calls for help with no answer.
• 15:49 - “Chief, this is Lieutenant Reinhagen.
I’m still stuck back in the right rear of the
building in the closet. We are out of air in a
closet. We’re out of air.”
•
•
•
•
“What’s your location?” Chief Williams said.
15:50 - “Stuck in a closet. Out of air”
Chief Williams, “Stuck in a closet?”
12 seconds later – Chief Williams, “Where are
you?”
• Reinhagen, “Help. The right rear. Out of air.
Anybody out there? Stuck in the closet, right
rear. No air. Help.”
• 15:52 (last transmission) - “First floor,
underneath the collapsed ceiling.”
Dimensions
- N-224 ft.
- S- 175 ft.
- W- 100 ft.
Hackensack Lessons Learned
• Poor Incident Command Structure
• All operations (including dispatch) were
working on one radio frequency
• Helped establish Mayday protocols
• Dangers of bowstring construction
• Air management is crucial
13600 N Route E
Apparatus
E1301
E301
E401
T305
T405
S604
M111
T505
T905
E701
AIR15
• August 16, 2012
• Dispatch
– 21:52
• Further Information
– Caller just got home and can see smoke and
the door handles are hot to the touch
• E401 (Captain Timmermann) arrived on
scene at 22:06 and established command
What’s your size-up?
Columbia 360 complete…
Front Door
When to call a Mayday
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Becoming trapped or entangled
Cut off by fire
Cut off by collapse
Falling through a floor or roof
Being pinned
SCBA failure in a hazardous environment
Air supply is less than required to exit IDLH atmosphere.
Firefighter down
Becoming lost or disoriented, or losing a member of your
crew.
• Anytime a PASS device is fully activated and a PAR report
confirms a member unaccounted for.
• Structural Collapse during interior firefighting which results
in any of the above circumstances
• Any other life threatening condition not listed in the abovespecified conditions.
How to call a Mayday
• Most of us originally learned LUNAR
• UCAAN-P
– U – Unit Calling
– C - Conditions
– A – Actions
– A – Air
– N - Needs
– P – Pass (Initiated by the Incident
Commander)
“MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY”
• Once a MAYDAY transmission occurs, there
are a number of steps that need to happen.
– Hold all radio traffic for the firefighter
MAYDAY
– All units on scene maintain radio discipline
• Stay OFF the radio – emergency traffic only
MAYDAY Command Responsibilities
• Activate a RIC (On Deck Crew) based on
the needs of the firefighter in trouble
• Notification to PSJC
–“All call” tones
–Dispatch “Mayday Assignment” an
additional engine, tanker, squad, and
ambulance
• IC will add additional Command Aides to
assist with incident management
Command Operations cont.
• PAR check
• Do not flood the interior with resources –
send only what is required
• Assign Division supervisors to manage units in
the hazard zone
• Support firefighting operations
Mayday Scenarios
1. Mayday called on the Tactical channel and
acknowledged by the IC
2. Mayday called on the tactical channel and
not acknowledged by the IC
3. Mayday called on the tactical frequency to
the first arriving IC (apparatus operator)
4. Mayday called on the main frequency
5. Situation with no radio
Tarver Video
Things that
came from the
Bret Tarver
incident
Tarver Lessons Learned
• Phoenix Fire conducted Mayday research
over a span of 5 years (2002-2006)
– Radio Traffic was overwhelming once a Mayday
was transmitted
– Multiple radio channels were ineffective and left
firefighters disconnected from operations
– Rescues were being done from the outside/in
rather than inside/out
– When incidents are out of balance = more
freelancing
RIT is not Rapid
• Brett Tarver, Phoenix Fire Department
– 53 minutes from Mayday call to recovery
• Why is calling an early Mayday important?
• Because we are all the same
– Aggressive in nature
– Hate to lose
– Think we can overcome any situation
– Don’t want to admit defeat
Not calling the Mayday…
Air Management
• "Our life expectancy inside a structure fire is
limited to the air we carry on our backs.“
– Alan Brunacini, Fire Chief (ret.), Phoenix FD
• Air Conservation
RIT Time (minutes)
Task
22.5
4,500 psi bottle
2.47
Establish a RIT Team
2.55
Entry after a Mayday is called
21.8
Rescue a Firefighter
16-18
Structural collapse
Personnel
Task
12:1
Firefighters to complete a rescue
Radios
Apparatus Radios
Officer Radios