Report Number: 05-0000478
Report Date: 08/22/2005

Event Description

Report: Out of air emergency on operating apartment fire, (address deleted) Engine (number deleted) arrived and sized up a multi-story, fire resistive apartment building with smoke and fire from an upper window, would be setting up a water supply and establishing an attack. Engineer and I, Squad (number deleted), noted moderate smoke pushing from a 3rd floor window, Charlie side. Our objective would be search and rescue on the fire floor. I dressed, including SCBA and forcible entry tool, and made the stairwell 2nd landing before masking up. My Engineer and Engine (number deleted) were entering behind me. The smoke on the 3rd floor was thick from floor to ceiling, so I told Engine Lieutenant I was going right in the hallway, thinking to locate people in trouble or possibly the fire. After making a quick circuit to the right and finding or hearing no one, I met up my Engineer, the Engine Lieutenant and his crew, stretching line up the stairwell. I said I was moving left down the hall. Doors on the right were closed; no one acknowledged shouts for assistance, and came upon an open door to the apartment fire. I entered, found approximately ¼ of the room contents burning. Returned to the entry door, indicated to the Engine Lieutenant the location of the fire, its size, and asked if he had water. He replied, “Not yet.” I re-entered and searched the apartment, found no one, and began cleaning out the living room window, including the sash. I then began throwing burning debris out of the window; a bicycle, stacks of papers, magazines, files, and plastic bags of stuff. FF (name deleted) arrived and asked if I would be able to throw it all out. My hands were getting hot. A desk, books, and shelving to my right lit up, and I said I didn’t think so. I asked, “You got water?” He replied, “Not yet.” My heads up display at this time was flashing yellow. I told (name deleted) I was going after a can. He said OK. Visibility in the hallway was zero. I mentioned to the crew with (name deleted) I was going out to get a can to slow the fire. I counted the strides and doors to the stairwell, about 10 and 4, came off air in the stairwell, and proceeded to get the can from Engine (number deleted). Making the 2nd floor landing for the second time, it was smokier and more crowded with firefighters, so I excused myself through them to get back to the burning apartment, and found it hotter with visibility zero. I asked the Engine Lieutenant if he had water. He replied, “Not yet?” I told him I had the can and would try and check the fire. He said, “Do what you can.” I moved into the fire apartment, noticed my heads up display flashing red and vibrating, and dropped down. I began dispensing cold (water) onto the fire, noticing an immediate banking down of heat and smoke to an uncomfortable level. A few moments passed and I felt the last breath come through my air line. I put the can down behind and to my right, turned and crawled to where I thought the exit was, back and to my left, and found myself in a small space; definitely not the exit. I had now exhausted the air in my tank and face piece, and was using a dive technique of rapid breathing to redistribute the air in my lungs. I back crawled a few feet, moved left thinking the line was in the room and thus a way out, but found nothing as the line was pulled back with the crew in the hall. I stopped, dropped my face to the floor, cracked the chin of my mask, took a shallow breath, and said, “I’m out of air.” The air at floor level was very hot tasted oily, and made me dizzy. I also began to realize panic. To my right I heard, “OK, this way.” I got to my feet, struggled to the door, and stumbled into the hallway, recalling the way out from before. I was moving rapidly, feeling the panic of no breath, zero visibility, and so many people to run into. At one point a firefighter grabbed me, holding on, and saying, “Wait!” but my mind had to get out now and was focused blindly on the stairwell. He had the ability to think of buddy breathing. However, my brain did not. I fell headlong into the stairwell and other firefighters, got my mask pulled away, finally drawing in some breathable air. I was dizzy and weak, lungs burning, but happy to hear Chief (name deleted) ask me what was wrong. I told him slowly I was out of air. They got me to my feet and moved me down and out to a lower landing where I briefly talked with an arriving Ladder Captain about no water and a can in the room. He said OK. The Chief's Aide escorted me to the lobby and out to the medical sector where I was treated for smoke inhalation. The initial findings were ashen color, elevated heart rate, and blood pressure, wheezing respirations without signs of singed nasal passage or throat residue. An albuterol treatment was given on scene that cleared up the wheezing. A 14gauge line was begun en route to (name deleted) Hospital. The ER found an elevated CO level that laid me off for two days. I was released for duty prior to the following shift.

Lesson Learned

1. Less than optimal accountability with partner. I knew my Engineer was behind me, searching, or assisting with extinguishment, but actual contact was not maintained. 2. Individual search of lengthy hallway not necessarily fire department policy. High life hazard, lack of immediate manpower for the search area, and experience level of personnel persuaded me the undertaking. Voice contact was maintained. 3. Disregard of mask information and warning devices led to out of air emergency. Solution of less self sufficiency and delegate uncompleted task to equipped personnel. 4. Exit should be initiated before running out of air, but importantly, if your mask is vibrating and distance precludes immediate evacuation, buddy breathing should be arranged before being completely out of air. Successful buddy breathing is near impossible when one person is unable to breath. 5. Personnel should discover for themselves the length of time they can breathe from a bottle of air in varying conditions, and practice evolutions of problem solving. 6. Take a can during early operations to assist in rescue or containment.

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