Breathing air consumption during different firefighting methods in underground mining environment
2022 (English)In: Fire safety journal, ISSN 0379-7112, E-ISSN 1873-7226, Vol. 133, article id 103661Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
The paper analyses the breathing air consumption among participating firefighters during full-scale tests performed in the Tistbrottet mine in Sweden 2013. The availability of breathing air during firefighting has in earlier work been identified as a critical tactical factor in underground firefighting. Results from the tests show that there are differences in the breathing air consumption and that this depends on the methods used, equipment and the workload. The use of BA-teams, i.e. firefighters equipped with breathing apparatuses, is a complex group activity where the largest breathing air consumer will set the limits for the whole team. Light equipment and a structured command and control during the activities will enhance the endurance and the firefighting performance. Equipment and methods affect both firefighting performance and the durability of the firefighting activities. Examples of tested methods and equipment during the test series are: different variations of conventional hose lay-out; CAFS; cutting extinguisher; and trolley for equipment and complementary air. The aid of additional air supply and the use of trolleys will support the activities but is dependent on a large degree of preparation and training to function properly. Based on the tests, it is concluded that the larger model of air bottles should be considered for distances longer than 75 m. © 2022 The Authors
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier Ltd , 2022. Vol. 133, article id 103661
Keywords [en]
BA-Operation, Breathing air consumption, Fire and rescue operation, Fire in tunnels, Underground firefighting, Durability, Fire extinguishers, Air consumption, Fire in tunnel, Fire operations, Mining environments, Performance, Rescue operations, Underground mining, Fires
National Category
Building Technologies
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-60151DOI: 10.1016/j.firesaf.2022.103661Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85137168665OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ri-60151DiVA, id: diva2:1699975
Note
Funding details: Taipei Medical University, TMU; Funding details: Myndigheten för Samhällsskydd och Beredskap, MSB; Funding text 1: The project “Taktik och Metodik vid brand i Undermarksanläggningar” (TMU) was a joint research project funded by the Swedish Civil Contingency Agency (MSB) during the years 2012–2014. The authors would like to thank mine manager Thomas Askemur for allowing the test to be performed in the Tistbrottet mine, MSB for the financial support, Fire Safety Engineer Per Rohlén for valuable photos and discussions and Incident Commander Krister Palmkvist from South Älvsborg Fire Department for technical support and advice with IR imaging, making it possible to evaluate the movements during the full-scale tests. Many people have also contributed to the enormous amount of effort and work needed to prepare the tunnel for the tests. The authors would also like to thank the technicians and experts from RISE (former SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden) and colleagues from Mälardalen University.; Funding text 2: The project was financed by MSB, the Swedish Contingency Agency. The project was a grant research project and no agreements existed that could have influenced the results of the project.
2022-09-292022-09-292023-05-25Bibliographically approved