The course provides the on-board firefighting team members with principles of breathing apparatuses use in presence of toxic gases and non-breathable air.

THEORETICAL ASPECTS

Theories on respiratory protective devices

• Course introduction
• Recognition of cases in which it is necessary the use of breathing apparatus
• High-temperature air
• Suboxygenated atmospheres
• Mix of air and toxic products
• Breathing physiology:
• Respiratory system (knowing how it works in human beings)
• Mechanisms which control the breathing frequency and the air consummation
• The respiratory muscles and types of breathing (thoracic, diaphragmatic, clavicular)
• Air conservative breathing techniques:
• R-ebt
• Skip breathing
• Buteyko’s techniques
• Breathing technique to use during intervention performances

• Breathing tests:
• Breathing by using techniques learnt during the course, without breathing apparatus
• Respiratory protective devices:

• Devices depending on the environment atmosphere
• Devices non-depending on environment atmosphere

PRACTICAL SESSION

Practical training

• Training with respiratory protective devices
• Pre-intervention checks
• Wearing and taking off the protective devices
• Exercises of familiarization with the devices
• Practical tests with breathing apparatus use
• Practical tests with breathing apparatus use in conditions of fatigue
• Crossing a cold smoke chamber equipped with different paths on many levels, trapdoors, stairs, tunnels, narrow spaces
• Demonstration of mannequin carriage (in pairs)
• Search and rescue inside the training smoke chamber
• Team movements in a hostile environment (smoke chamber). The delegates must show to move safely and orientate within the space. They must also show to cooperate and to be a team
• How to substitute, recharge, disassemble and clean a cylinder

APT

None

To provide the emergency team members with knowledge about the correct use of breathing apparatuses in environments with toxic gases or non-breathable air.

Instructors expert in Safety and Prevention fields

Theoretical and practical aspects

Theories on respiratory protective devices

Breathing physiology

Techniques of conservative breathing

Breathing practical tests

Recognition of cases in which the use of breathing apparatuses is necessary

practical training in the use of respiratory protective devices

crossing a smoke chamber, with different paths which are disposed on many levels

demonstration of mannequin carriage (in pairs)

search and rescue inside the training smoke chamber

team movements in a hostile environment (smoke chamber)

how to substitute, recharge, disassemble and clean a cylinder