Donning your SCBA while wearing a seatbelt can be a difficult and entangling task if not practiced. Here are a couple of quick techniques that might help you make this task easier.
First have the seatbelt in a position that makes it easily accessible, but not in a position that will cause it to be closed in the door.
Before you put on your seatbelt, place your right arm through the SCBA shoulder strap. After your arm is through the shoulder strap grab the seatbelt with your right hand and buckle-up. This will place the seatbelt over the SCBA straps and should prevent it from becoming entangled in your SCBA.
Now with your seatbelt buckled you can turn and place your left arm through the other shoulder strap. Your shoulder straps can be adjusted accordingly and you won’t have to worry about them being tangled with the seatbelt.
If all straps and belts were in their proper positions you should also be able to buckle the SCBA waist strap. With the seatbelt on, tightening the waist strap might be difficult. You can tighten the strap when you dismount the apparatus.
On apparatus where the SCBA is secured in place by a strap, be sure to pull the release prior to dismounting.
As with any skill, the key to proficiency is to practice and find a technique that works for you.
Thank you for this tips, here in Peru we have many firemen with problems. I will rey to translate and post it in our blackboard. God bless you fire brothers!!
Very good tips. As with everything we do this takes practice. Thanks for the article.
I like it.