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May Day Operations
- 4. Recognizing a MAYDAY Situation 1. Injured and/or Disabled 2. Separated from Crew / “Lost” 3. SCBA Malfunction and/or Low Air 4. Trapped, Pinned and/or Entangled in Debris 5. Any life-threatening condition that cannot be resolved in 30 seconds
- 12. Example : “ Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. Division 1, Quadrant B, Rear Bedroom. Engine 4-B, Division 1, Search. F.M. Smith, 500psi remaining, I'm stuck in wires, need cutters. Mayday, Mayday, Mayday."
- 17. Questions
Editor's Notes
- What you just heard is an excerpt of some of the radio traffic from the Charleston, SC warehouse fire that cost 9 firefighters their lives. It is a perfect example of how an ordinary structure fire can turn terribly wrong and why EVERY firefighter needs to understand when and how to declare a MAYDAY and what to do after you call one.
- Good morning or afternoon. I'm Fire Medic Nick Wirshing and I’d like to welcome you to the Prattville Fire Department Training Facility. Our training session today is MAYDAY Operations.
- Today’s Training Objective is for each of you to be able to identify and perform the appropriate actions when/if you find yourself in a MAYDAY situation. There are three (3) Performance Objectives associated with this Training Objective. You need to: (1) Recognize when you are in a MAYDAY situation. (2) Properly declare your MAYDAY situation. (3) Identify all nine (9) self-survival steps that you need to follow when you become lost/disoriented or trapped in a structure.
- What constitutes a MAYDAY situation? 1. Injury or physical condition that makes you incapable of reaching an exit. 2. Limited visibility, not in physical contact with hose line, lifeline and/or partner. 3. SCBA Malfunction and/or Low air alarm activation and unable to reach exit safely. 4. Firefighter’s mobility compromised due to structural collapse, debris, and/or inoperable/blocked doors/exits. 5. The firefighter has 30 seconds to find an exit or fix his/her SCBA prior to initiating a MAYDAY. The 30-second time limit serves as a reminder to the firefighter to focus on self-rescue. Let’s perform a quick exercise to remind ourselves how much we should be able to do for ourselves in 30 seconds. At this time, move to an open space within this classroom. When I say, “GO.” I want you to get on the floor, on your hands and knees, with your eyes closed, and take 5 seconds to simulate searching for your hose line, lifeline, or partner. Then, I want you to take another 5 seconds to simulate reading your SCBA pressure gauge (you can open your eyes, but don’t move from your location). Finally, I want you to use your final 20 seconds to simulate how you would use whatever tool you would commonly have with you in order to extricate yourself and make your way to an exit. I will tell you when 5 seconds, 10 seconds, and 30 seconds have elapsed. [When everyone is in a safe, open, floorspace, give the command, “GO.” Give 5 second, 10 second, and 30 second time hacks. Instruct students to return to their seats following the exercise. (Remember, if superior-ranking firefighters are in your class, they must perform this exercise – unless they are evaluating your performance as the instructor.) When everyone is seated, ask for feedback on how long 30 seconds felt. Did they think that they would USUALLY be able to self-rescue vs. declaring a MAYDAY? If you weren’t able to self-rescue within 30 seconds, then you need to know how to make an effective MAYDAY declaration. Here’s what to do if that happens…
- We’re going to use two mnemonic devices today. The first one is – L.U.N.A.R. [The first “m” in mnemonic is silent.]
- L.U.N.A.R. is a memory (mnemonic) device to help you remember the five (5) critical points that you need to report: L – stands for your location U – stands for your assigned unit N – stands for your name A – stands for the amount of air that you have remaining R – stands for the resources that are needed to extricate you Now, let’s get into the details of each of these critical points.
- L is always first, so that regardless of the circumstances, RIT knows where to begin their search.
- U gives command additional information about you, your organization, and your potential capabilities.
- N is your name. This is critical if more then one firefighter is involved in the MAYDAY situation. Command needs to insure that all firefighters are accounted for and no one is left in the building.
- A helps command qualify the urgency of your situation.
- R lets command know what they need to send in - in order to bring you out.
- This sentence may seem simple. When you’re under stress, getting it correct is not easy. Firefighters must practice this often if they expect to be 100% competent. Firefighters must remember to open the MAYDAY declaration with 3 consecutive MAYDAYS alerting personnel all on this channel to clear the air for emergency traffic And to end the declaration with 3 consecutive maydays to notify command and communications your emergency traffic is complete. Command and RIT officers also need to train their listening skills to get the information correct the first time. Issue premade notes to each student to give them a plausible location they might be assigned to, their actual unit (with plausible duty, e.g. Search), a plausible SCBA gauge reading, and a plausible resource statement. Then, require them to each simulate broadcasting their MAYDAY declaration to you. If there are command or RIT officers in the class, tell them in advance that their task will be to record and recite the information communicated by the other firefighters.
- Going through the L.U.N.A.R. mnemonic gives command the information that they need in order to start your rescue. Now, you need to do a few more things in order to improve your probability of a successful rescue: 1. Turn on your light. 2. Make some noise. 3. Conserve your air. 4. Activate your PASS device. 5. Stay low. 6. Limit your movement, in order to conserve your air.
- Our final mnemonic for this lesson is - GRAB LIVES. Let’s take a look at what that stands for…
- G auage - Always know how much air you have. - Anticipate how much air will be needed to complete the task. - Be prepared to report your remaining air to the rescuers. R adio - Radio your MAYDAY. Transmit your LUNAR. - Review the meaning of LUNAR. Ask a different student what each letter stands for. A ctivate - Audible PASS device must remain on until rescued. - PASS should be turned off only to communicate via the radio. - Maximize strength of PASS alarm and light by positioning device so it is best heard and seen by rescuers. B reathing - Firefighters must control their breathing and conserve air anytime they don the SCBA. - Air is limited, work effort and duration unpredictable. Critical for firefighters to control anxiety and breathe rhythmically. - Control how much air is breathed and how much physical effort is exerted. Consider Rescue Breathing Slower, longer exhalation periods – 2 X normal Can extend air in bottle by 20 to 30 percent L ow - STAY LOW – Search for: Cooler Environment; Cleaner Air; Better Visibility. - Firefighters must position themselves near the floor to avoid super-heated toxic air collecting at the ceiling. - Staying low also aids in sighting the hose-line and finding an exit. I lluminate - Turn on flashlight. Position at Right Angle to floor for maximum visibility. - Always have flashlight on while in IDLH (Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health) environment. V olume - Noise originating from the firefighter can guide rescuers to his/her location. - Use your tool to make as much noise as you can, but conserve your energy and your air. - An axe, pike pole, or any type of forcible entry tool can be used to make the noise. - Be loud. Be heard. Be rescued. E xit - Feel walls for windows and doors. - If a hose line is available, follow it out using the couplings as a guide. S hield airway - Breathe through the low air alarm… there’s still air available. - When the air in SCBA is exhausted, disconnect regulator and cover Air Port with the chin portion of nomex hood – Shielding the air port will prevent debris and reduce the amount of smoke entering the mask.
- Recognize a MAYDAY situation 1. Injury or physical condition that makes you incapable of reaching an exit. 2. Limited visibility, not in physical contact with hose line, lifeline and/or partner. 3. SCBA Malfunction and/or Low air alarm activation and unable to reach exit safely. 4. mobility compromised due to structural collapse, debris, and/or inoperable/blocked doors/exits. 5. The firefighter has 30 seconds to find an exit or fix his/her SCBA prior to initiating a MAYDAY. Declare the MAYDAY Using the LUNAR mnemonic L – your location U – your assigned unit N – your name A – amount of air that you have remaining R – resources that are needed to extricate you 9 self-survival steps after MAYDAY GRAB LIVES Guage Radio Activate Breathing Low Illuminate Volume Exit Shield Airway
- Everything should now be as clear as mud. Are there any questions?