A self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) is one of our most valuable tools on the fireground. As such, we must constantly examine their operation to determine what manufacturers can do to improve their usefulness.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently issued the 2007 edition of NFPA 1981: Standard on Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus for Emer-gency Services. How will the changes to this standard affect the officers and firefighters who use this life-saving equipment every day? Before answering that question, let’s review some background information about SCBAs and NFPA 1981.
A Brief Review
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) certifies all respirators used in this country, including air-purifying respirators (APRs), powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) and SCBA. Some of the basic requirements for all SCBA, such as air-flow and low-air alarms, are included in the NIOSH regulations. For an SCBA to be used in fire or emergency service applications, it must also meet the requirements specified in NFPA 1981, which outlines the design and performance requirements a product must meet in order to be used in the high-stress, high-heat situations encountered in firefighting. The product must be inspected and tested by an independent third party who certifies that it meets all the requirements of the standard. All SCBA used in the fire service should include a label indicating it’s NIOSH-certified, the specific edition of NFPA 1981 with which it complies and the identifying mark of the certification organization.
One requirement of NFPA 1981: SCBA must be NIOSH-certified as positive pressure and must have a NIOSH-rated service time of at least 30 minutes. Firefighters and fire officers must therefore understand that “NIOSH-rated service time” is the period of time that the SCBA supplies air at a fixed rate when tested according to NIOSH regulations.
Because NIOSH certifies SCBA for use in general industry, the air-flow requirement is 40 liters per minute (L/min). Thus, an SCBA with a NIOSH-rated service time of 30 minutes will supply air for 30 minutes if the user breathes at a rate of 40 L/min. However, for the high workloads involved in firefighting or other emergency activities, the user may be breathing at a significantly increased rate. Recognizing this fact, the NFPA standard requires SCBA to be tested for air-flow performance at a rate of 100 L/min.
The common practice in the fire service of referring to air supply in terms of time (30-, 45- and 60-minute cylinders) is inaccurate, as most firefighters know. With the increased physiological demands placed on the body during active firefighting, a firefighter could expend a NIOSH-rated 30-minute cylinder in as little as 12-15 minutes under extreme workloads. This obviously has an impact on escape time as well, because an SCBA user may only have 2-3 minutes of air left when the low-air alarm activates.
In an attempt to address this issue, the previous edition of NFPA 1981 included a requirement for a heads-up display (HUD) that allows the user to constantly monitor air supply, rather than wait until the end-of-service time indicator activates when only 25 percent of air remains. The HUD must display a visual informational signal for breathing-air content in at least four equal increments, ranging from full to one-quarter. When 50 percent of the air supply is expended, a flashing visual alert signal must be displayed. This allows for better air management and enables firefighters to begin their exit from an immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH) atmosphere well before the low-air alarm activates. Since the HUD is an electronic device, the standard also requires SCBA to include an independent breathing-air pressure gauge that’s visible to the wearer. That way, if the HUD fails, the firefighter can still view the remaining air pressure.
Current Edition Changes
Let’s now take a closer look at some of the changes to the newest edition of NFPA 1981.
CBRN SCBA: All SCBA meeting the 2007 edition of the NFPA 1981 must be certified by NIOSH as Chemical, Biological, Radio-logical and Nuclear (CBRN) SCBA. This requirement provides respiratory protection from biological agents, radiological particulates and specified chemicals, including chemical warfare agents that could be used by terrorists. Although major metropolitan areas are more likely targets of terrorist attacks, the committee felt that all emergency personnel should have respiratory equipment that provides protection from such agents. Why? Smaller communities may be called upon to respond in the event of a major incident and, as evidenced by the 9/11 Commission Report, terrorists may reside in smaller communities as they prepare for their attack. If they plan to use chemical, biological or nuclear material, the possibility of an accidental release may be just as great for these smaller communities or rural areas. Additionally, although CBRN-certified SCBA are tested against chemical warfare agents, such as mustard gas or Sarin, they may provide additional protection for a wider array of toxic industrial chemicals with which firefighters may come into contact.
Communications: Communicating through an SCBA facepiece has always been a challenge. The new edition of the standard makes the communications test more stringent, and raises the pass/fail criteria for the primary voice communication system to 85 percent. Although the standard does not require voice amplification, most manufacturers on the committee seemed to think they would have to use voice amplification to pass the more severe test. Because of the possibility that an SCBA may rely on electronics to meet the communication performance criteria, the committee requires a speaking diaphragm that can achieve at least an 80 percent score on the communications test so communication would still be possible if the electronics failed. Note: The speaking diaphragm can function as the primary communication system if the unit can achieve at least an 85 percent score on the communications test.
Immersion Leakage Test: The committee added an immersion leakage test to address the problem of water leaking into the electronics compartments of SCBA. Electronic components, such as the HUD and electronic voice amplifiers, are subjected to a temperature of 177 degrees C (350 degrees F) for 15 minutes and then are immersed in water at a depth of 1.5 meters (4.9 feet). The devices must function properly and remain watertight after six exposures to heat and water. There has been much recent publicity regarding PASS devices that failed to operate due to moisture in the electronics compartment. Thus, we added this test to prevent similar failures in electronic components of SCBA.
Cylinder Retention Test: We also added a cylinder retention test to ensure the air cylinder is securely retained in the back frame and doesn’t loosen during use.
Low-Power Capacity: A new low-power capacity requirement for electronic devices was included in the new standard to ensure such devices will continue to function properly for at least 2 hours following activation of the low-power signal.
Reporting Problems: Several NFPA committees are working on a more effective process for reporting problems, and improved procedures for notifying the end-user community of these problems. Any time a respirator or any other part of the protective clothing and equipment covered by an NFPA standard malfunctions, the problem should be reported to both the manufacturer and the third-party certification organization.
In the case of respiratory protection equipment, the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) should also be notified. The 2007 edition of NFPA 1981 requires manufacturers to include with each SCBA complete instructions regarding how to report to the manufacturer, certification authority and NIOSH NPPTL any conditions that may present a hazard.
Organizations frequently report the problem to their distributor or salesperson, and if the complaint is handled satisfactorily, no one else is notified. Several instances have occurred in which the same problem was encountered by multiple organizations, but users were unaware of this because the proper authorities that could investigate the hazard and issue a recall, or at least a safety alert, were never notified. The first step is to make sure the malfunction is reported to all the appropriate parties.
The Interchangeability Issue
One issue the committee considered, and which received considerable input from the fire service, was a requirement to make breathing air cylinders interchangeable among the various manufacturers. Currently, NIOSH certifies a particular manufacturer’s SCBA for use with that manufacturer’s breathing air cylinder. Using a cylinder not certified for use with that particular SCBA voids the NIOSH certification. When multiple jurisdictions that use different SCBA brands respond to an incident, the cylinders cannot be interchanged without voiding the certification. If cylinder-filling capability is sufficient at the scene, this may not present a problem. However, in certain instances, it may be desirable to use a different brand cylinder on an SCBA. In addition, any time a department wishes to purchase a different brand of SCBA than what it’s currently using, it must also purchase all new cylinders from that same manufacturer.
The committee, in cooperation with NIOSH, attempted to write requirements that would allow any breathing air cylinder to be used with any manufacturer’s SCBA, within the specified pressure range, and to ensure that it would work properly, fit securely and be retained in the back frame. However, input from the fire and emergency services communities overwhelmingly opposed this proposal, and the requirements were deleted from the draft of the standard. This is simply one example of the importance of participation by users in the NFPA standards-making process.
1981 v. 1852
It should be noted that although NFPA 1981 contains requirements that manufacturers must meet in order to have their products NFPA-certified, the standard is still of great interest to firefighters and other emergency workers who use these respirators. The changes that are made to this standard are driven by the needs of the users.
A companion standard to NFPA 1981, however, is written for organizations that use SCBA: NFPA 1852, Standard on Selection, Care and Maintenance of Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus, which contains, not surprisingly, requirements for the selection, care and maintenance of SCBA. It outlines the factors an organization should consider when selecting breathing apparatus and provides guidance on SCBA care, including cleaning and decontamination procedures. It specifies testing that must be performed to ensure the SCBA operates properly and delineates repairs that can be made by a certified technician within the organization and those that must be made by the manufacturer’s technician. Anyone who has responsibility for an organization’s respiratory protection program should become familiar with NFPA 1852.
Now You Know
Proper SCBA design and use is imperative to our safety, and we must therefore be familiar with any changes to related standards, including NFPA 1981. For more detailed information, refer to the standard itself, which is available from the NFPA.
