In this firefighter spouse rescue training video, instructor Valerie Solano discusses the SCBA pack as part of firefighter bunker gear for fire service members.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPTION:

SCBA pack weighs between 35 to 40 pounds, depending on the model and the make of it. We wear it on our backs. I call it the firefighting backpack for the kiddos, right? That makes sense for them. So, this contains roughly 45 minutes of air, which means it’s about 20 minutes of working air and the larger human that you exist with the less that air is.

I have very little lungs because I have a small frame so when I take a breath it takes up less air. I have a guy on my crew who is ginormous. He’s 6’5 and 250 pounds. When he takes a breath, he’s got big lungs, so he just uses up more air quickly. Okay, super in shape guy but just he breathes naturally, he just has a bigger lung capacity and volume than what I have.

Some of the stuff behind that that they teach during like RIC operations and mayday situations is ways to make your air last longer when you’re panicking. Okay, and believe me, they’re probably panicking. I’ve called one mayday in my whole entire career, and I was panicking. And I’ve trained for it over and over and over again. Okay, and to calm yourself down to make this bottle last the longest that it can.