Published: Tuesday, June 7, 2005
Fire crews can breathe easy
A grant helps Everett replace outdated breathing gear
EVERETT- Everett firefighter Bill Long's tank was out of air, so fellow firefighter Gary Parks shared his mask with Long, using the buddy breathing system.
It was 1987, and the two were among teams battling a huge early morning fire that gutted the Everett Community College library and cafeteria.
A fireball erupted behind firefighters, and Long and two others crawled out of the building. Parks did not escape and was the last firefighter to die in the line of duty in Everett.
The long-used buddy breathing system was better than nothing, but it likely filled the facemask with smoke, and left a weak seal, Everett Fire Marshal Warren Burns said. Parks was likely overcome by smoke, a factor that contributed to his death, fire officials said.
Everett firefighters are still using similar air tanks and masks that are 9 to 20 years old, said Everett Fire Department Deputy Chief John Gage.
New breathing equipment - with LED light alerts when air tanks get low and fittings that will allow firefighters to share tanks - soon will be bought for Everett firefighters, federal and city officials announced Monday.
"These will increase firefighter safety," Burns said. "We've got that option of buddy breathing and a shared tank that we didn't have back in 1987."
A $280,000 Federal Emergency Management Agency grant will be matched by $120,000 in city funds to buy 112 modern breathing packs.
The packs have new fittings and longer hoses that allow firefighters to share air when one tank runs out, or to refill a tank if a firefighter is trapped, Gage said.
The new fittings are quicker and easier for firefighters wearing thick protective gloves to use, Gage said.
The new apparatus are compatible with similar breathing equipment used by the fire departments in Marysville and Arlington, allowing Everett firefighters to share air during fires where other departments are assisting, Gage said.
Another feature of the new equipment is an LED system of green, yellow and red lights inside the air mask that will allow a firefighter to quickly and easily monitor the tank's air level, he said.
Firefighters regularly plow through smoke and flame and don't have time to pull out a flashlight to check air tank gauges, Gage said. "The LED is a huge step."
The city plans to seek bids for the breathing gear and have them ready for use this fall, Gage said.
 Kevin Nortz / The Herald Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson tries on a face mask with the help of Everett Fire Department Deputy Chief John Gage. The department will buy 112 modern breathing tanks and masks with the help of a federal grant. |
It was 1987, and the two were among teams battling a huge early morning fire that gutted the Everett Community College library and cafeteria.
A fireball erupted behind firefighters, and Long and two others crawled out of the building. Parks did not escape and was the last firefighter to die in the line of duty in Everett.
The long-used buddy breathing system was better than nothing, but it likely filled the facemask with smoke, and left a weak seal, Everett Fire Marshal Warren Burns said. Parks was likely overcome by smoke, a factor that contributed to his death, fire officials said.
Everett firefighters are still using similar air tanks and masks that are 9 to 20 years old, said Everett Fire Department Deputy Chief John Gage.
New breathing equipment - with LED light alerts when air tanks get low and fittings that will allow firefighters to share tanks - soon will be bought for Everett firefighters, federal and city officials announced Monday.
"These will increase firefighter safety," Burns said. "We've got that option of buddy breathing and a shared tank that we didn't have back in 1987."
A $280,000 Federal Emergency Management Agency grant will be matched by $120,000 in city funds to buy 112 modern breathing packs.
The packs have new fittings and longer hoses that allow firefighters to share air when one tank runs out, or to refill a tank if a firefighter is trapped, Gage said.
The new fittings are quicker and easier for firefighters wearing thick protective gloves to use, Gage said.
The new apparatus are compatible with similar breathing equipment used by the fire departments in Marysville and Arlington, allowing Everett firefighters to share air during fires where other departments are assisting, Gage said.
Another feature of the new equipment is an LED system of green, yellow and red lights inside the air mask that will allow a firefighter to quickly and easily monitor the tank's air level, he said.
Firefighters regularly plow through smoke and flame and don't have time to pull out a flashlight to check air tank gauges, Gage said. "The LED is a huge step."
The city plans to seek bids for the breathing gear and have them ready for use this fall, Gage said.
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