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Posted January 3, 2006 EST
Firefighters Safer With New Devices
United States (Arizona) -
The next time Phoenix fire Capt. Al Hoffman leads his crew into a burning building, he won't have to shout to talk to them. He won't have to resort to hand signs or repeat instructions no one can hear.
Instead, Hoffman will simply speak into his breathing mask in a normal tone of voice, and the other firefighters on his crew will hear him in their ear as clearly as if they were talking on a telephone, even if they're several feet away in smoky darkness.
"It's a lot safer," Hoffman said. "You can keep track of your crew. You're not yelling. . . . When you say something, they're going to hear it."
Phoenix is believed to be one of the first fire departments in the country to buy intercoms that snap onto a breathing mask and allow firefighters to effortlessly speak to one another inside a blaze.
The technology could revolutionize the way firefighters communicate in difficult environments and end persistent communications problems that have been at least partly blamed for deaths in Phoenix and elsewhere.
But at more than $1,000 per intercom, cost alone makes the technology a luxury that many departments can't afford.
In Phoenix, the intercoms became a priority after Firefighter Bret Tarver died in 2001 when he became disoriented and ran out of air while battling a supermarket blaze. Other firefighters couldn't find Tarver in time to save him.
Phoenix spent about $519,000 to buy 474 intercoms, enough for all firefighters working each day. They should be fully distributed to crews this week.
"The ability to communicate clearly inside a high-hazard environment can be the difference between life and death for a firefighter," Assistant Phoenix Fire Chief Bob Khan said.
Instead, Hoffman will simply speak into his breathing mask in a normal tone of voice, and the other firefighters on his crew will hear him in their ear as clearly as if they were talking on a telephone, even if they're several feet away in smoky darkness.
"It's a lot safer," Hoffman said. "You can keep track of your crew. You're not yelling. . . . When you say something, they're going to hear it."
Phoenix is believed to be one of the first fire departments in the country to buy intercoms that snap onto a breathing mask and allow firefighters to effortlessly speak to one another inside a blaze.
The technology could revolutionize the way firefighters communicate in difficult environments and end persistent communications problems that have been at least partly blamed for deaths in Phoenix and elsewhere.
But at more than $1,000 per intercom, cost alone makes the technology a luxury that many departments can't afford.
In Phoenix, the intercoms became a priority after Firefighter Bret Tarver died in 2001 when he became disoriented and ran out of air while battling a supermarket blaze. Other firefighters couldn't find Tarver in time to save him.
Phoenix spent about $519,000 to buy 474 intercoms, enough for all firefighters working each day. They should be fully distributed to crews this week.
"The ability to communicate clearly inside a high-hazard environment can be the difference between life and death for a firefighter," Assistant Phoenix Fire Chief Bob Khan said.
Written by Judi Villa
