2. Real-Worl
RITCREATING AN
SCBA PACK
L
IKE MOST FIRE DEPARTMENTS
across the nation, we annually con-
front an increasing fire protection
area with a decreasing operational
budget. Some of our department's self-con-
rained breathing apparatus (SCBAs) needed
replacement because of wear and tear from
years in service. To obtain as many new
SCBAs as possible on a limited budget, we
ordered new replacement SCBAs without
the quick fill/buddy breather attachments for
downed or trapped firefighters.
After reading "Budd) Breathing" (Round-
table, Fire Engineering, May 2002) on the use
of emergency procedures, I had a dilemma. I
am a firm believer in using the low-pressure
mask supply hose for emergency SCBA pro-
cedures, which i what I was taught when I
entered the fire service and what I still teach
probationary firefighters during their orienta-
tion training. The Roundtable comments
brought up some very good points. So I came
up with a solution to address this problem
until our budget allows us a better way to deal
with the emergency SCBA dilemma.
When I started in the fire service, Rescue
Captain Patrick Wolf of Jonestown (PA) Fire
and Rescue taught me what I needed to know
to stay alive, and I pass on his instructions to
my new probies. One of the most important
rules was to adapt, improvise, and overcome
any firefighting obstacles. The information
below should help other fire departments
with a shrinking operational budget find a
temporary solution for the emergency SCBA
pack problem.
• SCOTT A. McCRINDLE is a division train-
ing chief with the Goshen (IN) Fire Department
and a J 4-year veteran of the fire service. Addi-
tionally, he serves as an administrative officer, a
training instructor for the 52 full-time members, a
safety officer, and a physical fitness coordinator
for the department. He is an lndiana certified fire
instructor IT and m. an Indiana EMS extrication
instructor, and an lndiana certified paramedic.
BY SCOTT A. McCRIHDLE
These ideas do not reflect the National
Fire Protection Association's or the manu-
facturer's requirements for a qualified SCBA
emergency pack but will give your members
the best opportunity to survive in a bad.situa-
tion until you can afford a better solution.
Listed below are some steps to make your
own emergency SCBNRIT pack. It requires
a safety-certified SCBA, a Phillips screw-
driver. and a small hole punch.
l. On a flat table, remove the SCBA bot-
tle (photo 1).
2. Remove the SCBA <houlder straps from
the backpack and waist trap. 00 ~OT LOSE
any screws. washers. or nuts (photos 2.3).
3. Remove the waist trap from the back-
pack frame, keeping the regulator attached.
Attach the waist strap to the backpack frame;
insert one screw with a washer and nut
through the hole in the backpack frame and
the grommet in the waist strap (photo 4).
4. Unbolt the waist buckle locking button,
and place the regulator on the other side of the
waist strap. Then reattach the waist buckle
24 December 2003 FIRE ENGINEERING FireEngineering.com

3. FireEngineering .com FIRE ENGINEERING December 2003 25
Real-World RIT
locking button (photo 5).
s. Your SCBA pack should look like the
one in photos 6 and 7. Make sure your high-
pressure Lineis on the bottom side of the regu-
lator toward the bottom of the SCBA pack
(photos 6,7).
6. Place your SCBA bottle on, and tight-
en the waist strap, making sure the high-
pressure line is in a good position (photo 8).
7. Bring the excess waist strap through the
bottom of the pack as shown in photo 9. Put a
hole in the center of the end of the waist
strap-X marks the spot (arrow). Then place
a screw with a washer through the hole, and
tighten it down to the backpack. This pro-
vides a carrying strap (photo 9).
It took 20 minutes to assemble these two
completed RIT/emergency SCBA packs
(photo 10). This firefighter is ready for a
RIT/firefighter rescue (photo I I).•
For More Facts Circle 115 on Reply Card