Lex Shady
In the skydiving world, there’s one thing that can literally make or break your jump: is your parachute packed correctly? Back in the day, parachutes were round, so it didn’t really matter how they were packed. As long as the lines weren’t tangled, you were pretty much good to go. Today’s jumpers use a more sophisticated style of parachute that is “wing shaped” to allow for optimum flying. Because of this, the importance of a properly packed, or “rigged” chute as they call it in the skydiving world, is now extremely important. The chute must be packed just right so that it will fill with air in the correct orientation immediately upon opening, as well as ensuring the lines don’t get tangled.
Like every vocation, there is a debate in the jumping world as to whether it’s better to pack your own chute, or pay to have someone pack it for you. The consensus appears to be: if you want something done right, do it yourself. Then there’s the big question: what happens if your original chute malfunctions, or catastrophically fails? Well, that’s what your reserve is for. Reserves must be packed by certified “FAA Riggers.” To become a certified FAA Rigger one must successfully pass a written, oral, and practical exam.
I’m sure by this time you’re wondering, what’s your point? Well, in the firefighting world, there’s one thing that can literally make or break your day: is your SCBA functioning correctly? Back in the day, firemen didn’t wear respiratory protection, many grew beards as a form of primitive protection, so the only thing they had to worry about was if it was long enough to “filter” the air. This eventually transitioned to some firemen using various forms of particulate masks, or a hood. As we all know, today we use a much more sophisticated style of respiratory protection, the SCBA. Because of this, a properly checked SCBA is now extremely important. The SCBA must be checked that the pack is free of debris and damage, the bottle is full, the hoses are connected and not leaking, straps are fully extended, and the pass device and low air alarms are in working order. Not to mention checking your face piece to be sure it is clean and free of damage, your heads up device is working properly, coms are clear, and finally that all of your equipment is set up for optimal masking up time.
Unlike the skydiving world, there is no backup. What happens if your SCBA fails? Well, I guess you better hope you’re not in an IDLH environment. We also don’t have a “certified SCBA inspector” to check our pack everyday. That’s you. Knowing all of this, why would you trust your equipment to the off going shift? Not to say they’re bad firemen, but things happen. And, let’s be honest. “If you want something done right, do it yourself.”
You would think by now we wouldn’t have to have this conversation, but the number of people that for whatever reason don’t fully check their equipment everyday would surprise you. I’m fortunate to be surrounded by people where this is the expectation, but not everyone is. It’s one of the best feelings to walk in the firehouse at the beginning of a shift and hear saws running, pass alarms going off, and seeing guys inspecting their gear. If you’re not this lucky, be the person to influence that change. 30 year guy, or new kid, doesn’t matter. Walk in the firehouse and make it the first thing you do when you make relief, then you can get your coffee.
And by the way, full is full, and nothing less.
Firefighting in Legacy Buildings 