# SWP - SCBA Donning, Use and Air Management > Fire Service Safety Management System, version 0.3.3 (2026-10-25). The Human Factor. Document FSSMS-SWP-01. > > Canonical: https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-scba-donning-use-and-air-management > > Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 with the Adopting Agency Grant (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) > > General information only, not legal, medical or other professional advice. Verify every requirement against the current official text of the law, standards and manufacturer instructions that apply to you. Obtain your own legal review and consult your joint health and safety committee before adopting anything. You adopt, adapt, implement and rely on this material entirely at your own risk and on your own responsibility. Full terms: Terms of Use, thehumanfactor.ca. > **Warning: Adoption without implementation increases legal exposure** > > Adopting this procedure without the training, equipment, supervision, verification and resources to carry it out as written increases municipal and command liability in a regulatory investigation or a fatality inquiry. See [00a Copyright, Licence and Legal Notices](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/copyright-licence-and-legal-notices). > **Speak up: Speak up** > > Anyone on the crew can stop this task if it looks wrong, whatever their rank. Say the hazard, then the action: “Stop, your alarm is sounding, we are leaving.” “Stop, that cylinder reads 70 percent, swap it.” “Stop, your mask is off and the monitor is not here.” The officer says “Heard”, does it, and brings it to the debrief for learning. The one debrief question for this task: what pressure did we enter with, what did we leave at, and would we do the same again? ## 1. Task and when this applies Putting on, using and taking off self-contained breathing apparatus, and managing the air in it, whenever a member enters or may enter an atmosphere that is immediately dangerous to life or health, may become so, is oxygen-deficient, or is unknown. That includes structural fire attack, search and interior overhaul; vehicle, dumpster, rubbish and battery fires through overhaul; carbon monoxide calls until a monitor proves the air safe; hazmat entries; confined space and technical rescue where the respiratory program’s hazard assessment calls for SCBA; and live fire training. It applies to every member, every rank, every time. ## 2. Hazards - Toxic products of combustion: carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, acrolein, formaldehyde, benzene, oxides of nitrogen and sulphur, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, particulate. Present with or without visible smoke, including during overhaul [(Bolstad-Johnson et al., 2000)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-scba-donning-use-and-air-management#ref-bolstad-johnson-2000). - Oxygen deficiency and superheated gases. - Running out of air: entering on a partial cylinder, working until the low-air alarm, long or unfamiliar exit routes, disorientation ([NIOSH, 2011, F2010-16](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-scba-donning-use-and-air-management#ref-niosh-2011); NIOSH, n.d.-b). - Loss of facepiece seal: facial hair, eyewear, wrong size, strap failure, lens damage, heat. - Crew separation and lost accountability. - Equipment failure: regulator free-flow, hose or valve leak, PASS failure, HUD or telemetry failure. - Heat stress and exhaustion that shorten air duration and judgement. ## 3. Controls in hierarchy order | Level | Control | |:---|:---| | Elimination | Defensive strategy where the risk-benefit assessment does not justify entry; no entry for property that is already lost | | Substitution | Longer-duration cylinders for large, complex or below-grade structures, decided at size-up | | Engineering | NFPA 1970 [(NFPA 1970, 2025)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-scba-donning-use-and-air-management#ref-nfpa-1970) SCBA with EOSTI at 33 percent, heads-up display, integrated PASS auto-arming on pressurization, UEBSS; telemetry where fitted; thermal imager with the crew; search rope or hose line as the route | | Administrative | This procedure; the Rule of Air Management, from NFPA 1404 and now in NFPA 1400 ([NFPA 1404, 2018, s. 5.1.4.2](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-scba-donning-use-and-air-management#ref-nfpa-1404); [NFPA 1400, 2026](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-scba-donning-use-and-air-management#ref-nfpa-1400)); the written air management procedure required of every department, carried into NFPA 1550 from NFPA 1500 ([NFPA 1550, 2024](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-scba-donning-use-and-air-management#ref-nfpa-1550); [NFPA 1500, 2021, s. 7.13](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-scba-donning-use-and-air-management#ref-nfpa-1500)); exit pressure set at the door; benchmark gauge checks; PAR; two-in/two-out and rapid intervention; work cycles and rehab; the near-miss rule for every low-air alarm inside; annual proficiency evaluation; consumption rate drill | | PPE | Full structural ensemble, particulate-blocking hood, fit-tested facepiece, PASS armed, radio with lapel microphone, light | ## 4. Required PPE and equipment Complete structural firefighting ensemble to NFPA 1970 [(NFPA 1970, 2025)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-scba-donning-use-and-air-management#ref-nfpa-1970) including particulate-blocking hood; SCBA inspected this duty period (or this week for an unassigned unit) with the sheet signed; cylinder at or above 90 percent of rated pressure; the member’s own fit-tested facepiece; PASS armed; portable radio on the assigned fireground channel; hand light; thermal imager per crew; tool for the task; multi-gas monitor with HCN sensor available to the crew or the entry control point. ## 5. Minimum staffing and competencies - Crew of at least two members entering together; at least two members outside, equipped and ready to rescue, before entry; an initial rapid intervention crew in place; a dedicated rapid intervention crew as the incident grows [(NFPA 1550, 2024, s. 10.8 and s. 21.8)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-scba-donning-use-and-air-management#ref-nfpa-1550) ([SWP - Two-In Two-Out and Rapid Intervention](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-two-in-two-out-and-rapid-intervention)). - Every entering member: current quantitative fit test for this facepiece, current medical clearance, recruit respiratory training complete, annual SCBA proficiency evaluation inside 12 months, consumption profile on file. - Crew officer: officer air management competency ([Respiratory Protection Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/respiratory-protection-program) section 6). - Entry control or accountability officer assigned at the point of entry. ## 6. Step-by-step procedure ### Before entry 1. **Decide whether to enter at all.** The incident commander states the strategy. If the answer is defensive, nobody dons for entry. 2. Don the ensemble to the collar. Check your partner’s hood, collar and gloves. 3. Don the SCBA. Open the cylinder valve fully; confirm the PASS has armed and the HUD shows full. Read the gauge aloud to your partner. 4. **If the cylinder reads below 90 percent, swap it. Do not enter on a partial cylinder.** 5. Don the facepiece last: chin first, straps tightened from the bottom up, hood over the facepiece edge, helmet on, collar up. Do a negative-pressure seal check (cover the regulator port, inhale, the mask pulls to the face and holds) and a positive-pressure check once the regulator is connected (hold your breath, break the seal slightly at the cheek, feel outward flow). 6. Connect the regulator and breathe normally. Confirm no free-flow and that the purge works. 7. Partner check: facepiece seal, hood coverage, no skin exposed, PASS armed, cylinder valve open, gauge reading agrees with the HUD, radio on channel. 8. **Set the exit pressure.** The officer names the pressure at which the crew starts leaving. Default: half the rated pressure. For a route of more than one floor, more than 30 metres, below grade, or into a structure the crew has not been in before, set it higher. Say it aloud; every member repeats it. 9. Report to entry control: crew identification, number of members, assignment, entry time, lowest cylinder pressure, exit pressure. Entry control records it. ### Inside 10. Stay together. Enter together, work together, leave together. Keep contact by touch, voice or sight at all times; in low visibility, by touch or the hose line or rope. 11. Check the gauge at the first benchmark (arrival at the work area), at every change of task, floor or direction, and whenever the HUD changes. Tell your partner the reading. 12. On every status report and personnel accountability report, give the crew’s lowest reading. The officer tracks it. 13. Plan the air in thirds: the first third to work, the second to get out, the third in reserve for the unexpected. **The low-air alarm marks the start of the reserve. It is never the signal to leave; the exit pressure is.** 14. **When the lowest member reaches the exit pressure, the crew leaves.** The officer tells command: “Crew leaving, air.” No task finishes first unless a life depends on it and the commander has been told. 15. **If any low-air alarm sounds inside the hazard area, the whole crew stops work and exits now by the known route.** The officer tells command. Command confirms the crew is out or starts rapid intervention. This is a near miss and is reported before the end of the shift. 16. **If a facepiece seal breaks or the regulator fails:** cover the facepiece with a gloved hand and leave; use the bypass or purge to maintain positive pressure if the regulator free-flows; if the regulator fails closed, use the emergency breathing procedure trained for the unit (bypass, regulator swap, or UEBSS with your partner); call a mayday if you cannot leave under your own air ([SWP - Mayday](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-mayday)). 17. **If you become separated, disoriented, trapped or low on air with no route:** call the mayday immediately, activate the PASS manually, and follow the mayday procedure. Do not wait to see if you can sort it out. 18. Nobody removes a facepiece inside the structure, during fire attack or overhaul, for any reason, until the incident commander has decided by multi-gas monitoring (including HCN) and the absence of smoke, off-gassing and odour that the atmosphere is safe, and has announced it [(NFPA 1550, 2024, s. 16.5.2)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-scba-donning-use-and-air-management#ref-nfpa-1550). A member who thinks the fire is out keeps the mask on: overhaul air exceeds exposure limits without visible smoke, and the CO reading does not tell you what else is there ([Bolstad-Johnson et al., 2000](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-scba-donning-use-and-air-management#ref-bolstad-johnson-2000); IAFF, n.d.-b). ### Exit and after 19. Report to entry control on exit: crew, members, remaining pressure. Entry control records exit time. 20. Go to rehab after two cylinders or when the rehab procedure requires ([SWP - Rehabilitation at Incidents](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-rehabilitation-at-incidents-and-training)); the work-cycle rotation follows the firefighter guidance notes (MLITSD, n.d., GN 6-43). Nobody re-enters without a full cylinder and a rehab check. 21. Preliminary exposure reduction on scene: wet-wipe or rinse the SCBA and facepiece exterior, remove the hood and gloves per the decontamination procedure, and take the facepiece off last ([SWP - On-Scene Preliminary Exposure Reduction](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction)). Bag the facepiece. 22. Transport the contaminated SCBA in a sealed bag or compartment, not in the cab [(NFPA 1850, 2026, ch. 16)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-scba-donning-use-and-air-management#ref-nfpa-1850). 23. Complete after-use inspection and cleaning at the station ([SWP - SCBA Daily and After-Use Inspection and Cleaning](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-scba-daily-and-after-use-inspection-and-cleaning)). 24. File an exposure report for every fire with products of combustion ([SWP - Exposure Reporting](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-exposure-reporting)). > **Warning: Stop-work triggers** > > Stop and leave, and tell command, on any of these: any low-air alarm inside; the exit pressure reached by any member; loss of contact with a partner; facepiece seal lost; regulator or PASS failure; sudden change in heat or smoke; loss of water on the attack line; a collapse indicator; a mayday on the channel (hold position and listen unless assigned); an evacuation signal. Nobody needs permission to act on a trigger. ## 7. Emergency and contingency | Event | Action | |:---|:---| | Low-air alarm inside | Crew exits now; officer tells command; near-miss report | | Member down, trapped or lost | Mayday (LUNAR: location, unit, name, assignment, resources needed); PASS manual activation; stay with the member; rapid intervention deploys; command moves other traffic to a second channel | | Buddy breathing needed | UEBSS connection per the unit’s procedure; both members leave immediately; report as a near miss | | Facepiece breach | Cover and leave; purge if needed; mayday if unable to exit on own air | | Separated crew | Stop, call on the radio, PASS pre-alarm attention; if not reunited within one minute, mayday | | Evacuation signal | Leave by the known route; PAR at the collection point | | Exposure (facepiece came off, or inhaled smoke) | Tell the officer; rehab medical check; exposure report; occupational health follow-up | ## 8. Documentation and reporting Entry control log (crew, members, assignment, entry and exit time, entry pressure, exit pressure set, lowest reading on each report); rehab record; near-miss report for any low-air alarm inside, mayday, buddy breathing, facepiece breach or separation; exposure report for every fire with products of combustion; after-use inspection and cleaning sheet; adverse-condition report for any equipment fault with the unit tagged and secured. ## 9. Training and review Every member demonstrates this procedure at recruit training and annually in the SCBA proficiency evaluation, signed by an instructor on the competency sign-off ([Respiratory Protection Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/respiratory-protection-program) toolkit T10). The individual consumption drill is repeated every three years. Officers demonstrate air management supervision before acting as incident commander and every three years. The Respiratory Protection team reviews this procedure annually, after any Tier 2 event involving air, and whenever the SCBA model or EOSTI setting changes, starting each review with a learning-team session on how the work is really done. > **Tip: Volunteer and composite departments** > > On a volunteer first-due response the crew of two may be the whole initial crew. The two-in/two-out rule still applies: the second pair arriving forms the outside crew before anyone enters, except for a known, imminent life threat that the officer records. Put the exit pressure and the “swap below 90 percent” rule on a card in every apparatus cab. ## 10. Related [Respiratory Protection Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/respiratory-protection-program); [Policy - Respiratory Protection](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-respiratory-protection); [Policy - Emergency Operations Safety](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-emergency-operations-safety); [SWP - Two-In Two-Out and Rapid Intervention](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-two-in-two-out-and-rapid-intervention); [SWP - Mayday](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-mayday); [SWP - Accountability and Personnel Accountability Reports](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-accountability-and-personnel-accountability-reports); [SWP - Rehabilitation at Incidents](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-rehabilitation-at-incidents-and-training); [SWP - On-Scene Preliminary Exposure Reduction](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction); [SWP - Exposure Reporting](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-exposure-reporting); [Form - SCBA Inspection and Maintenance Log](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-scba-inspection-and-maintenance-log); [Incident Investigation and Learning Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/incident-investigation-and-learning-program). ## Jurisdiction requirements This chapter relies on the following legal requirements, which differ by province and territory. Check your jurisdiction’s section on each topic page before adopting it. | Topic | What to check in your jurisdiction | Page | |:---|:---|:---| | Fire Service OHS Rules and Fireground Operations | Whether a fire-service regulation sets an SCBA buddy rule, two-in/two-out, rapid intervention or air management rule | [J12 Fire Service OHS Rules and Fireground Operations](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j12-fire-service-ohs-rules-and-fireground-operations) | | Firefighter PPE and Protective Equipment | The SCBA, hood and PASS standards a regulation requires wherever a firefighter may be exposed to an oxygen-deficient or harmful atmosphere | [J13 Firefighter PPE and Protective Equipment](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j13-firefighter-ppe-and-protective-equipment) | ## References Bolstad-Johnson, D. M., Burgess, J. L., Crutchfield, C. D., Storment, S., Gerkin, R., & Wilson, J. R. (2000). Characterization of firefighter exposures during fire overhaul. *AIHAJ, 61*(5), 636–641. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298660008984572 International Association of Fire Fighters \[IAFF\]. (n.d.-b). *SCBA through overhaul*. National Fire Protection Association. (2018). *NFPA 1404, Standard for fire service respiratory protection training* (last standalone edition; now part of NFPA 1400). National Fire Protection Association. (2021). *NFPA 1500, Standard on fire department occupational safety, health, and wellness program* (last standalone edition; now part of NFPA 1550). National Fire Protection Association. (2024). *NFPA 1550, Standard for emergency responder health and safety* (consolidates NFPA 1500, 1521 and 1561). National Fire Protection Association. (2025). *NFPA 1970, Standard on protective ensembles for structural and proximity firefighting, work apparel, open-circuit self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) for emergency services, and personal alert safety systems (PASS)* (consolidates NFPA 1971, 1975, 1981 and 1982). National Fire Protection Association. (2026). *NFPA 1400, Standard on fire service training* (consolidates NFPA 1402, 1403, 1404, 1407, 1408, 1410 and 1451). National Fire Protection Association. (2026). *NFPA 1850, Standard on selection, care, and maintenance of protective ensembles for structural and proximity firefighting and open-circuit self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)* (consolidates NFPA 1851 and 1852). National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health \[NIOSH\]. (n.d.-b). *Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program* \[Program website and investigation reports\]. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health \[NIOSH\]. (2011). *Volunteer captain runs low on air, becomes disoriented, and dies while attempting to exit a large commercial structure: Texas* (Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation Report F2010-16). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development \[MLITSD\]. (n.d.). *Firefighter guidance notes* (Section 21 Advisory Committee; individual notes revised to 2026).