PPE CASE TN-27934: Evaluation of Three Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus Involved in a Near Miss While Operating at a Structure Fire

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  This report provides a summary of NPPTL's inspection and evaluation methods, as well as findings, for three SCBAs used by firefighters. Three firefighters became trapped during a serious injury incident of a rapid-fire progression. The NIOSH Division of Safety Research requested this evaluation to verify that the SCBAs were configured in an approved manner and functioning as intended, ensuring they did not contribute to firefighters becoming trapped. The SCBAs were Scott® Safety Air-Pak Model 4.5, 45-minute, 4500 psi units. NIOSH received three SCBA units used by firefighters involved in a serious injury. The SCBAs were not found to contribute to the incident. A qualified service technician must inspect, repair, test, clean, and replace damaged components of any SCBA involved in an incident before it may be returned to service. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Firefighters
  • Occupational Health
  • Personal Protective Equipment
  • Respiratory Protective Devices
  • Safety
• Keywords:
  • Personal protective equipment
  • PPE
  • Equipment testing
  • Self contained breathing apparatus
  • SCBA
  • Fire fighters
  • Laboratory testing
• Series:
  NIOSH Numbered Publications
• Subseries:
  PPE CASE Notes
• DOI:
  10.26616/NPPTLRepTN-27934
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  Dallas Region OSHA ; Philadelphia Region OSHA ; Texas ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  NPPTL - National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  53 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071746
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NPPTL Report No. TN-27934, 2026 Apr; :1-53
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Resource Number:
  TN-27934
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/259971/cdc_259971_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 22.79 MB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:79761265f5641151e683751ddaee18410d90bf850d6a8a96ef0fe69483e3f1f324741cf8cbff67fd4dba9fcb5e79b5d5d908601098ce28c4ce52f889205581da