Masks on or off in the truck?

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Permalink Reply by lutan1 on April 25, 2009 at 9:39pm

I wonder how many people have ever had the mask on, but off air and either have or nearly have entered a structure forgetting they were not on air....

I reckon there'd be a few.

For me, mask off.

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Permalink Reply by Jacob on April 26, 2009 at 3:22pm

Our "1st out for a structure" truck is a 1985 FMC...It has 2 front seats and 3 passenger rear partial enclosed bench seat...The driver is the opperator...the guy in the passenger seat is going to be command, and they 3 in the back are to be masked when you get off the truck...if there is a fire , then you hook up to the tank

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Permalink Reply by Cory Deaton on April 26, 2009 at 6:20pm

For me it has always been up to the person me I like to get a clear look at what I'm going to be going into before i go in. Some people on my dept like to mask up in the truck which again is up to them.

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Permalink Reply by salvadore arnone on April 26, 2009 at 7:12pm

Most of the time the firefighter puts his mask on a couple block from the fire. However the officer giving scene size-up does not have on his mask while he is talking to dispatch.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Burks on April 28, 2009 at 12:47am

I would put the mask on just before entering . you would want a clear picture of what is going on . Also your assignment may change when you get on scene. be safe

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Permalink Reply by Reg Mathis on April 29, 2009 at 12:55am

I would only mask up in the truck if the truck was on fire....

TCSS

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Permalink Reply by Capt. Mick on April 29, 2009 at 8:17am

That's a good one Reg LOL

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Permalink Reply by Padre Pete on April 29, 2009 at 9:44pm

Kekoa, If your looking for support, I'm with Shane (and you).

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Permalink Reply by Don Vuletic on April 30, 2009 at 8:14am

In our department it the firefighters choice. If they mask up while on the unit or on the scene, Some prefer to be ready upon arrival. Most of the time as the I.C. will advise what they want and location. We go from there.

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Manning on April 30, 2009 at 9:31am

After reading just some of the entries here, I see that many believe in the mask off idea. So, I get to be a vote for the other side. I was trained to have it all on, and come off the truck ready to go to work. I'm small town, paid, and the majority of our fires are 20 steps to the front door, not 20 stories up onto a high-rise. (I can see where that might call for a different line of thought.)
I wear glasses inserted into my mask, and I usually had my mask on coming off the truck. Never had problems with seeing the whole scene, and always took the time to get a good look before entry. If I saw something wrong, grabbed the partner's shoulder and pointed - he knew his job as well as I knew mine, and a nod of the head told me he saw it too.
as I said, small city dept - speed of atack was the best way to get ahead of the fire. Can't make it up in traffic, so getting dressed quick and coming off ready to work are the only places to improve on response time. Response time is not arrival time, it's first water on fire.
As far as the captain having his mask on, that might not be the best idea. He needs to take the time to do a full size-up and clearly communicate that to all. By the time he comes off the truck and gets a full look, our entry crew should have pulled the line, set the PPV fan (to idle - ready to use if wanted) and be ready to move into the building. I was trained to be part of a 2-man entry team, and an officer came along later, after they completed their first due assignment.

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Permalink Reply by Anita Shultz on April 30, 2009 at 10:55am

At our dept. we normally will wait to mask up until the truck arrives at the scene so that all personnel will hear radio traffic.If you are putting on your mask you are not wearing your headset! Sometimes things will change in seconds and you may not hear crucial info. Sometimes there are exceptions. Anita

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Permalink Reply by Derek R. on April 30, 2009 at 5:27pm

I, personally, being too far away to go to the fire station first, take my own vehicle to the fire........can't see me masking up first. Rather be the rescuER ..not the rescuEE. Be nice if there was an anti-fogging spray or something that was SAFE to use on masks to eliminate this problem. But, responding to the topic here, Our brigade mask up before entry at the command post. For us it's safer visually and easier for communication.

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