Gilroy
– Firefighters say they’re satisfied with a safety alarm used to
protect crews at work, despite mounting concerns about the units’
durability.
Gilroy – Firefighters say they’re satisfied with a safety alarm used to protect crews at work, despite mounting concerns about the units’ durability.
Personal Alert Safety Systems blink and emit an “annoying tone” when a firefighter stops moving for more than 30 seconds, explained Chief Dale Foster.
“The idea is that if a firefighter goes down in a fire, and is incapacitated, then this would activate,” spurring other firefighters to the person’s rescue, said Foster.
But recent reports have shown that PASS devices can fail in extremely hot or wet conditions – exactly the situations when firefighters need them. An MSNBC.com investigation revealed that since 1998, 15 firefighters have died when PASS systems didn’t sound or sounded too quietly for them to be saved. The National Fire Protection Association has bolstered testing recommendations for PASS systems, requiring that the systems be water-tested, tumbled and baked at 500 degrees Fahrenheit before departments OK them for firefighters’ use.
Foster says the PASS devices used by Gilroy firefighters are safer than the belt-mounted, battery-operated units employed in the past. The department adopted Survivair PASS systems last spring, which are built into the breathing apparatus. The chief claims the newer models “don’t have the same problems.”
Survivair representatives could not be reached for comment.
Thus far, Gilroy firefighters “are satisfied with what we’re using,” said Joshua Valverde, president of the Gilroy firefighters’ union. “We haven’t had them fail on us. Of course, we don’t want to wait for something to fail in an emergency situation, either … We’re still waiting to hear if there’s a recall on the particular units we have.”
Firefighter Bernhard Szilagyi monitors Gilroy’s breathing apparatus and PASS systems, said Valverde, and has been keeping up with industry news.
In response to public concerns, the International Association of Fire Chiefs issued a position statement Monday, urging manufacturers to “offer a cost-effective modification/upgrade option to existing integrated PASS/SCBA units,” such as the Survivair system used in Gilroy. NFPA officials could not be reached to confirm whether the integrated systems are immune to the problems observed in the battery-operated PASS systems, damaged by water seeping into the power supply.
Foster emphasized that the PASS system is only one of multiple safety measures protecting Gilroy firefighters. All officers have “Handi-talkies,” he said, and support is usually close enough to see firefighters, if they fall.
“It’s a fallback,” Foster said. “We knew there were limitations on those devices, depending on heat and moisture.”
“When we go into a structure, we don’t go in alone,” added Valverde, “in case one of the systems were to go out.”
