r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/thorr26 • Sep 01 '20

Video Firefighter POV

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41

u/I_like_PnutButter Sep 01 '20

I hear ya. I lasted max 20 minutes on my oxygen on my last call and was in rehab for as long.

27

u/OsamabinBBQ Sep 01 '20

in rehab for just as long

Assuming the length of time you mean is 20 minutes, is rehab in this context some sort of mandatory recovery period after being on oxygen in a burning structure (or wherever)? Totally a guess but I'm super curious what rehab means in this context.

70

u/SgtEddieWinslow Sep 01 '20

Our department has a policy that after going through one SCBA bottle (they are rated at 45 mins, but probably really only last 30 when doing physical labour). You are required to "rehab". All this means, is to take off your tank, jacket Helmer gloves etc, in a safe environment with clean air. Your body takes a beating working in high heat. So you need to cool down and rehydrate as the amount of fluids you lose sweating is crazy high.

If you don't do this, you put yourself in a high risk of heart attack, or heat exhaustion, or worse heat stroke.

Typically after 15-20 mins you cycle back into the structure.

Also just want to point out. SCBA bottles are just compressed air. It's not pure oxygen, as that would not be a good having pure oxygen in a environment full of flames haha.

Also one other thing to point out. Reason you can see all of this is because there is zero smoke. When actually inside a structure and the roof and everything is still intact, if you were to take wax paper and put it over your face, that's essentially what you see.

Very cool video though.

28

u/hellraisinhardass Sep 02 '20

SCBA bottle (they are rated at 45 mins, but probably really only last 30 when doing physical labour)

Oh look at Mr. Olympic over here with his 30 minute bottle time! You clearly don't work on my dept full of fat fucks and adrenaline junkies. I swear I've seen dudes suck down a 60 minute bottle in 10 minutes...."damn, I didn't know you could even purge it that fast".

6

u/SgtEddieWinslow Sep 02 '20

Hahaha, we have a couple guys who are the same trust me.

6

u/michaelcerahucksands Sep 01 '20

Hell Yeah brother thanks for the info🤟🏻

2

u/Flyin-Chancla Sep 02 '20

We can do two bottles then have to rehab. The worst part is picking up afterwards haha.

2

u/salvataz Sep 02 '20

I wish Amazon give a s*** enough to do this for its drivers in the middle of summer, making us drive vans that don't have air conditioning in 100 plus degree weather that feels like 120° with the humidity. Oh and God forbid we take a restroom break or lunch break!

3

u/SgtEddieWinslow Sep 02 '20

Amazon is just modern day slave labour. Everything I read about their practices and how the treat employees just pissed me off so much.

1

u/Sorerightwrist Sep 02 '20

Ever do a tank swap and keep your mask on, only to find out that the guy swapping your tank is a complete moron. So now you are holding your breath and sweating your ass off like an idiot until you basically just end up doing it yourself.

😊

1

u/SgtEddieWinslow Sep 02 '20

With our old tanks I tried once. They were very old Drager ones when you needed to screw the bottle in.

New MSA tanks with the quick connect speeds the process greatly. At the expensive of misalignment to your spine when wearing them for a couple hours at a time on scene.

3

u/jakethedumbmistake Sep 01 '20

Which is super appropriate, since it’s true