New technology, protocols help AFD address high temperatures
AUSTIN, Texas - The August summer heat is on. For Austin firefighters, responding to calls in extreme temperatures can be difficult.
According to AFD Division Chief Eddie Martinez, the Texas summer heat is a time when heavy bunker gear poses an additional dilemma.
"The equipment we wear when we go inside a fire is very good at protecting us from the heat, but it's also very good at keeping our heat in," said Division Chief Martinez.
A firefighter's core temperature can quickly rise, increasing the risk for heat exhaustion.
"We have had three big fires in the last couple of weeks when we had to give IV fluid to three firefighters due to dehydration because they were working really hard on fires," said Martinez.
A fire last week in West Campus on 21st Street is an example of how AFD is dealing with high heat situations. The call-out was upgraded.
"We didn't need a third alarm for the apparatus or because we needed more water on the fire. We needed the extra personnel to cycle through more people to get a bigger, work rest cycle," said Martinez.
During the summer, AFD crews are rotated into air-conditioned fire trucks as part of a cool down protocol. It's even done during traffic incidents where the pavement can increase heat exposure. CapMetro buses can also be brought in to provide additional relief during longer fire fights.
New technology is also helping Austin firefighters manage a hot situation. Air breathing systems now include a tracking and monitoring device.
"It allows me to not become part of the incident, part of the emergency," said AFD Firefighter Rachael Lewis.
Firefighters, like Lewis, no longer have to stop working on a fire in order to check a standard gauge. The information is now literally in front of them. Inside their masks, LED lights provide a real time status of air flow.
"Having that heads-up display is life-changing for me. I can work, I know what capacity I have to be able to work in," said Lewis.
The air supply information is also fed to a nearby laptop, which is monitored by the Incident Commander. Division Chief Martinez demonstrated how the information on air levels is displayed on the computer screen.
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"Not only does the PAK Tracker allow us to look at what our air consumption is for our firefighters. If we had a catastrophic event, there's another piece of tool that's next to it that is kind of like a detector," said Martinez.
A handheld device is linked with the computer system. It looks for a homing signal and provides an illuminated bar graph that increases in size the closer you get to the Air PAK. It can help a rescue team.
The Air PAK system came into play during a house fire in January. Four firefighters were briefly trapped when part of the structure fell on them.
"And that's something that could have turned into an easy line of duty death. But with a pack tracker and with a heads-up display, that firefighter was able to see how much air they had left, how much time they had to function. That provides a sense of calm and provides management. All of our fire chiefs have a sense of being able to find that person, know where they are, know how much air they have. That's huge. That's life changing," said Lewis.
The next step for the Air PAK system may involve expanding the use of its tracking technology. There is the possibility it could, eventually, be adapted to help coordinate crews working on wilderness rescues and wildfires.