| Editor’s note: The inaugural Fire Service Symposium in March featured some of the most prominent figures from the world of PPE. Check out our special coverage section for extensive highlights from the event. |
The next generation of self-contained breathing apparatus that will be thinner and lighter than current models should be on the market by the end of the summer, according to project leaders.
A $2 million contract to develop a new pressure vessel to substantially reduce the weight and profile of SCBA was awarded to the IAFF last year.
During a keynote speech at the Fire Service PPE Symposium, Rich Duffy, assistant to the general president at the IAFF, said most of the significant areas of testing have already been carried out.
“We have to complete this by the end of September this year, which means it has to be commercially available by then,” he said.
“We are very close to being on schedule and are pretty much on track.”
The Department of Homeland Security awarded the contract to the IAFF to introduce the vessel, which utilizes carbon, Kevlar and fiberglass wrapped cylinders with operating pressures up to 5000 psi.
It is part of a grant program that awards money to schemes that offer innovative technology solutions, with a stipulation the product is made commercially available within a certain timeframe.
Lighter weight
Existing cylinders primarily use an aluminum liner in a conventional elongated cylindrical form. Due to its shape and rigidity, current pressure vessel design for SCBA contributes significantly to the overall weight and profile of the apparatus.
Under the terms of the contract, Duffy told the symposium in Charlotte, N.C., that the IAFF has been working with two manufacturers on the project, selecting Scott and MSA.
The companies have been using their own funds for the project, according to Duffy. He said he expected other manufacturers to begin using the new vessel once it is released.
“We are looking at this not as a new piece of breathing apparatus, but as a part,” he said. “We are proud of it and think it will make a big difference within the fire service.”
In designs created by the IAFF in partnership with Vulcore Industrial in Fort Wayne, Ind., the new pressure vessel offers an approximate 60 percent weight reduction over conventional SCBA cylinders.
They have a substantially smaller profile, measuring 2 inches in depth. Pressure vessels on conventional SCBA cylinders measure 7 inches in depth.
The additional stress created by bearing this burden has been associated with the increased rates of injury and fatalities for emergency responders.
Duffy said the IAFF is currently doing all the relevant test protocols with both the Department of Transportation and NIOSH, with testing in the field being carried out with members of the Fort Wayne Fire Department.
PPE issues
During his keynote speech to the symposium in March, Duffy also discussed various PPE-related issues, saying a lot of protective clothing standards have been made overly complex in some cases.
“We have made them like a Christmas tree, to hang ornaments on,” he said. “I think we have to watch what we are adding to the gear. It is a concern.”
He said people in the fire service need to know what they are asking for — and the ramifications — before making additions to firefighters’ PPE.
“Anything you add to your clothing … there are detriments and I think people have to understand that,” he said.
The amount of labeling on modern turnout gear is also an issue that Duffy said he is hopeful will be addressed.
“We have so many labels on firefighter coats now, it’s almost like you’re going to work with your turnout coats wearing your labels,” he said.
“Hopefully in the near future we’ll be able to put little chips in there which will be better than these labels.”