MOUNT VERNON — When entering a burning building, firefighters face the threat of injury and death. Firefighters in Knox County have developed a Mayday protocol for when a firefighter is injured, trapped or lost in a fire.
According to Mount Vernon Assistant Chief Chris Menapace, certain scenarios automatically require that a Mayday be called. A life-threatening situation or injuries, or a lost or missing firefighter, require immediate initiation of a Mayday. An activated low air alarm on the air tank of a firefighter unable to immediately leave a smoke- or fire-filled building also would require a Mayday call.
Firefighters who are trapped or in imminent danger, as well as firefighters caught in a fall or collapse, can initiate a Mayday, or one can be called on their behalf. Any member of the fire department on the scene of an emergency may call a Mayday for a firefighter who is in distress.
Firefighters in Knox County wear what is called a PASS (Personal Alert Safety System) on their turnout gear, which automatically sets off a loud audible alarm when a firefighter is motionless for about 30 seconds. The device also has different alarm settings depending on room temperature, so if a firefighter is trapped in a burning room, the alarm will sound different tones as the level of heat rises. The devices can also be activated manually.
Some departments, including Mount Vernon, have buttons on their portable radios, called Emergency Identifier Buttons. This button is pushed by the firefighter calling the Mayday. When pushed, the button automatically relays the identity of the firefighter to the incident commander.
Menapace said crucial information should always be included in a Mayday call. This information includes the firefighter’s location, unit number and name, as well as the nature of the emergency, the resources needed and what the firefighter’s assignment was at the time of the Mayday. A sample of a Mayday call would be, “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday — this is Engine 492, Lt. Smith on the second floor, search team. Roof collapse, trapped beneath roof, need air supply.”
If fire officers lose contact with a member of their crew, or a member of the crew cannot be located, then it is up to the officer to initiate the Mayday.
Once the Mayday is called, a series of things will happen. First, the incident commander will move all fire ground radio traffic to a different radio channel, which will then be used only by the lost or injured firefighter, the rescue team and the incident commander.
Then, a Rapid Intervention Team is sent in to find the fallen firefighter. The team carries a special air tank that can be connected to a firefighter’s mask or air bottle to give him or her oxygen if the air supply is running out, or if the self-contained breathing apparatus has failed.
Search and rescue efforts must be performed while the fire department continues to fight the fire. For this reason, additional teams of firefighters may need to be called to the scene.
Once the lost or injured firefighter is located and rescued, the incident commander announces an all clear over the radio.
At the last meeting of Knox County Fire Chiefs, Menapace walked the rest of the chiefs through the protocol which MVFD has adopted for Maydays. Area chiefs are working toward adopting standard operating guidelines for situations such as Maydays, according to Central Ohio Joint Fire District Chief Joe Porter.
“Our goal throughout the county is to work at being on the same page for things like this,” he said.
Bill Smith, acting chief for College Township, agreed, and said his department is also developing a protocol like the MVFD’s.
Fredericktown Chief Scott Mast said his department is in the process of adopting the same guidelines for Maydays as Mount Vernon, and he plans to use the training materials developed by Menapace for the MVFD to ensure his firefighters are prepared for a Mayday that may involve firefighters from several Knox County departments.
According to Menapace, because Knox County fire departments often provide mutual aid to each other during emergencies, uniform policies regarding Maydays could save valuable time, and cut confusion if a Mayday is called at a mutual aid fire.
Cooperation among Knox County fire departments has increased in recent years, according to local chiefs. Mast said that because the departments often provide assistance to each other, it makes sense to work together.
