Breathing apparatus is a key piece of equipment for firefighters across the world.
Our breathing apparatus consists of one or two oxygen cylinders and an oxygen mask that securely covers the whole face.
Since the 1960s we have been using compressed air breathing sets. The sets we use today are lighter, and last a lot longer than the ones from the 60s.
Firefighters will pull on a BA set anytime they are entering a situation where the atmosphere might cause difficulty breathing. That could be anything from a smoky building, to an incident where chemicals have been spilled.
London Fire Brigade currently has one type of BA set that can be configured as either of the below. Each configuration lets firefighters breath oxygen for different lengths of time.
Standard duration breathing apparatus has only one cylinder – all our firefighters are trained to use SDBA and all our fire engines carry them. The set weighs about 13kgs.
If a firefighter is breathing normally a SDBA they should get 26 minutes of air. But, if the firefighter is working really hard and breathing really hard, the cylinder won’t necessarily last that long.
To use extended duration breathing apparatus firefighters must complete specialist training. An SDBA can be configured as an EDBA by either twinning two 6.8 litre cylinders with a T-piece adapter or using a twin pack cylinder. Due to them having two cylinders, they weigh a bit more than a BA set that is configured as SDBA, at 19.5kgs.
If a firefighter is breathing normally an EDBA they should get 46 minutes of air. But, if the firefighter is breathing heavily, the cylinder won’t necessarily last for 46 minutes.
EDBA is usually brought out when firefighters have to travel longer distances using breathing apparatus, like a train stuck in a tunnel.
Whenever firefighters are using breathing apparatus we set up a Breathing Apparatus Entry Control (BAEC). This system lets us track who’s gone into a building with BA and who’s come out – we always go in as a pair and come out as a pair. We mark this information down on an entry control board (ECB).