Robert Tutterow

And when someone calls 911 to report a fire, one of the instructions a good dispatcher will give is "close the door." The examples are abundant. Hotels are required to have automatic door closures on all guest room doors. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has developed NFPA 105, Standard for the Installation of Smoke Door Assemblies and Other Opening Protectives. The standard addresses the installation, maintenance, and testing of smoke door assemblies and smoke dampers that are used as a means to restrict the smoke movement through openings. The New York Times published an article on November 12, 2012, titled, "A Closed Door: The Best Ally in a Home Fire." Its source of information was taken from FDNY fire educational material.

1 A firefighter deploys an air curtain at a live burn at an acquired structure. Air curtains are sheets of flame-retardant fabric mounted to a spreader bar that firefighters can rapidly install in a door opening. (Photos by author.)

OK, the point is made-close the door! Yet historically, when the fire department arrives, one of the first tasks has been to vent or open up. Does the fire behave differently if the fire department opens the door and creates other openings as opposed to the occupant leaving the building open? Other than a time lapse, of course not. Study after study is showing that ventilation is important, but not until hose crews have applied water or are in position to apply water. As I stated in an earlier column and based on scientific research, never delay applying water-even if it means attacking from the exterior.

Air Curtains

2 Air curtains are advantageous as exterior doors because they provide fire department personnel with a means of keeping a door opening closed without disrupting hose movement. They do not deter a sudden escape by firefighters like a permanent door. In addition, they also provide an indication of air flow direction.

This all leads to the main point of this month's column-using portable doors or air curtains. Portable doors or air curtains are sheets of flame-retardant fabric mounted to a spreader bar that firefighters can rapidly install in a door opening. They are advantageous as exterior doors because they provide fire departments with a means of keeping a door opening closed without disrupting hose movement. They do not deter a sudden escape by firefighters like a permanent door. In addition, they also provide an indication of air flow direction. They are also beneficial for interior operations. Many homes have openings from one area of the house to another without a door. Most ranch-style houses have a hallway that, in effect, opens the house from one end to the other. A portable air curtain is an excellent tool for compartmentalizing fire and smoke.

Air curtains are inexpensive and require minimal compartment space and maintenance. As the fire service learns more and more about controlling smoke and fire movement, the air

Richard Marinucci

Teams must remain focused on their goals and push through the challenges presented. Teams and individuals must maintain their skills, remain mentally strong, and adapt to whatever is presented. The teams and players who do this the best are most likely to be successful.

Hitting a pitched ball that can approach 100 miles per hour is one of the most challenging things an athlete will face. Even still, it is commonly accepted that major league hitters will catch up to fastballs, and a steady diet delivered by pitchers will not be enough to gain an advantage over the hitters no matter how fast the fastball is. Pitchers need to have alternatives such as a curveball. The most successful hitters can adjust to the pitches they will see other than the basic fastball.

Fire Service Connection

In the world of rescues, responders go to many routine incidents, but those who are truly on top of their game learn how to adjust to the "curveballs" that are thrown at them. They have the core competencies and abilities to handle the routine and the critical thinking skills to adjust on the fly when things don't go exactly as planned. Organizations that strive to provide the very best service possible must not only be able to handle the emergencies that go according to plan but also adjust as needed to make sure that any curveballs are not going to derail an operation.

In today's fire service, there are more resources available to handle rescues than ever before. There are tools and improved training that make it possible to prepare for whatever comes down the pike. Just because the resources are available doesn't always mean personnel will achieve desired outcomes. Preparation is extremely important, and that preparation must include the possibility that there will be times when the best laid plans don't go as intended.

Individuals and organizations that are on top of their games have policies in place that provide general guidelines that offer direction and consistency. Unfortunately, it is impossible to anticipate every nuance that could affect an operation. This is not to say that organizations should not develop basic concepts and procedures. They provide a good foundation that they can adjust as particular deviations present themselves. Organizations don't start without generally accepted standards and practices. They make adjustments based on what occurs in the real world.

Training in core skills to develop a high level of competence is absolutely essential if an organization wants to be considered a top-shelf department. It could also be argued that this competence needs to be almost "unconscious" to the point where the default performance under stress is proper and safe. If members do not need to consciously think about an operation's basic elements, they can focus on the required problem solving. If firefighters master the basics, then they can take a broader view of the emergency and adapt.

Rescue Challenges

The fire service must address a couple of challenges. First, rescues in almost all disciplines are becoming more complex. Changes in vehicle construction that are designed to protect the occupants if a crash occurs make accessing crash victims more difficult. Changing technology such as hybrids and electric vehicles necessitate continual training-not only in extrication techniques but also in the hazards that present themselves to rescuers.

The tools available to rescuers are plentiful. Some are very specialized while others offer flexibility and versatility. This is good but does not come without challenges to organizations. Some departments have difficulty finding space on

By Alan M. Petrillo

It all started with two mining engineers, John T. Ryan Sr. and George H. Deike, who developed safety equipment for use in mines 100 years ago but quickly moved into the broader market of fire safety by providing firefighters with breathing apparatus and then personal protective equipment (PPE).

This year MSA celebrates its 100th anniversary in business, which coincides with the introduction of a new product that echoes the company's early efforts in self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).

William M. Lambert, chief executive officer and president of MSA Safety Inc., says the company now makes products in five core areas: SCBA, head protection, portable gas detection instruments, fixed gas and flame detection products, and fall protection. "In the North American market, the fire service is extremely important to us," Lambert says. "Of our $1.2 billion in sales worldwide, half of that is from the North American market and nearly 30 percent of those sales come from the fire service, so it's a very important market segment for us."

Nish Vartanian, president of MSA North America, says MSA's key products for the fire service are SCBA, which is the largest category for the company; head protection, through its Cairns fire helmets brand; and thermal imaging cameras. Portable gas detection instrumentation also plays a critical role. "In terms of market penetration, we have about 90 percent of the fire departments in the United States market in one of those four product categories," Vartanian points out. "We have the leading market share position with our Cairns helmets and either a number one or number two market share position for SCBA, thermal imaging cameras, and portable instruments."

1 The G1 SCBA is MSA's newest product, a whole new system designed from the ground up with input from thousands of firefighters and fire departments. (Photos courtesy of MSA.)

Protective Equipment History

Lambert notes that MSA first got into the SCBA fire service market in 1919 with the Gibbs breathing apparatus, the first SCBA rebreather marketed to fire departments. The following decade, the company began selling turnout gear, featuring rubber-surfaced fabric turnout gear in its 1929 catalog. In 1934, MSA introduced the first firefighting helmet made of Micarta while continuing to make respiratory protection for the fire service. Its work in SCBA culminated with the 401, Custom 4500, and FireHawk M7 models, Lambert says, which are the forerunners of the recently introduced G1.

Lambert, who started with MSA in 1971, served on the design and development team in 1987 to meet the then new National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1981, Standard on Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for Emergency Services.

"In 1987 we introduced the Quick-Fill system, the first and only NIOSH-approved buddy breathing system that allowed a firefighter to share air without removing his mask," Lambert says. "It became the basis for the high-pressure fitting, often called a quick-disconnect fitting or coupler, that allows high-pressure transfer of air from one system to another. The fitting enables a rapid intervention team to quickly transfill air to a trapped firefighter's system without having to remove the mask or disconnect air in any way."

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