BREATHING PROTECTION EQUIPMENT CONSUMPTION: CONTRIBUTION FROM AN EXPERIMENTAL PROTOCOL

• Main Authors: Cristiano Corrêa, Anderson Souto Castro, Aline Falcão, George Cajaty Braga, José Jéferson Rêgo Silva, Tiago Ancelmo Carvalho Pires
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Norte 2015-12-01
• Series: Holos
• Subjects: Breathing Protection Equipment; Firemen Corporation; Autonomic Mask Consumption
• Online Access: http://www2.ifrn.edu.br/ojs/index.php/HOLOS/article/view/3314

This article presents an experimental protocol for calculatingthe breathable air consumption on Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) used by firefighters during operations in smoke environment, especially in firefighting operations. The actual protocol is based on particularities forvaried Fire Departments. Even though the Fire Departments are similar in their activities and collaborative spirit, each institution has different equipment, works under a specific ambient temperature, and has peculiar training programs, representing a unique organism. Creating a simple protocol makes it possible to be easily repeated, establishing, that way,the air consumption during SCBAuse by any Fire Department. One case study in a significant sample of on Battalion of Recife – PE, Brazil, will be presented, creating a reference of air consumption for firefighters during low, middle and high effort during firefighting.