Breathing catches up

The next time Newport Beach firefighters have to race into a smoke-filled room they’ll have a lot better idea how much air they have left, thanks to a recent Homeland Security grant.

The fire department was able to buy 60 new self-contained breathing apparatuses with the $221,000 grant. Ten more were bought with the city’s money.

The new equipment has finally brought Newport Beach firefighters up to the same standards as the rest of the county, Battalion Chief Ralph Restadius said Wednesday.

“Ours were really old, some dating back from the 1980s,” Restadius said. “Right now Orange County’s unique because all fire departments have a brand called Scott Air-Pak. All the parts are interchangeable; that’s a big plus for us.”

In order to receive the funds, Newport Beach had to match 25% of the grant. But with all the new gadgets and extras, the price was well worth it, Restadius said.

The new breathers come with L.E.D. air monitors inside the face mask that allow firefighters to keep better track of their air consumption. The previous tanks only notified firefighters when they had about 3 to 5 minutes of air left, just enough time to get a refill, Restadius said.

“Asphyxiation is the second cause of firefighter deaths out there,” Restadius said.

Air tanks for the breathers come in three sizes, holding 30, 45 and 60 minutes worth of air. Most departments use bottles with 30 minutes of air but it’s actually less than that when firefighters are working because they use up the air faster. A 30-minute bottle could supply only 10 to 15 minutes of air in an emergency, Restadius said.

Newport Beach firefighters will use the 45-minute tanks, giving them a solid 30 minutes of usable air.

The new equipment also allows firefighters to hook up empty breathers to a teammate so they don’t have to share face masks. The new tanks are also lighter.