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Toxic smoke in the burning of selected substances, detection and protection intervening fire
ŠEBA, Jaroslav
Toxic products of combustion released by selected substances {--} their detection and the protection of firefighters I have opted to focus my Bachelor paper on this subject on the strength of my 20 years of working at the law-enforcing department of Fire Rescue Service; consequently, I am well aware of the difficulties that the firefigthers meet in their attempts at obtaining vital information. I have decided to investigate the subject and offer the results so that the fireman units could be properly trained. The paper is divided into several sections. The first aims to find out to what extent the units of the South Bohemian Fire Rescue Service are equipped with detection devices; the second examines the options of protection available to the firefighters in action; and the third section pays attention to the current standards of training given to the firefighting units deployed in the regional Service. The fourth section contains a comprehensive chapter on the noxious products of combustion, presenting available information on substances most often released in their burning. The next section provides a questionnaire survey designed to map the knowledgeability of firefighters and, to permit comparisons, also the awareness that the general public has of the substances and the toxicity of their combustion products. The chapter included to present evaluations and analyses starts with a description of materials to be ignited. The products of their burning were gathered using the Tenax tubes to be later analyzed in the laboratory. The lab analysis results are presented together with the major effects that the substances may have on human body. With the questionnaire survey evaluated, it became obvious that the firefighters were considerably better informed than the general public in all areas thus surveyed. Still, the incorrect answers returned by the freighters testify to a great deal of deficiencies that the system of training should address and regular training sessions of units should remedy. Excellent results were obtained for firefighters in action, since in most cases their level of protection was found higher than what was actually necessary. The level of knowledge encountered in the general public respondents proved to be below the average. Their awareness of hazards that the combustion products may pose for humans should be heightened (e.g. through a campaign able to provide information on the subject) since the products may be detrimental to the health of just anybody.
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Breathing Apparatus equipment in the Units of the Fire Rescue Service of the South Bohemia Region
SOKOL, Karel
The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic is one of the fundamental components of the Integrated Rescue System. Its overall development and modern equipment allows for a very effective way to provide assistance in all types of emergencies. The breathing apparatus equipment is one of the many parts of the common personal protective equipment that allows firefighters to remain within even a stifling environment. The aim of this thesis was to make a full analysis of the numbers and the range of age in use of these kinds of breathing apparatuses and cylinders, which belong to the units of the equipment in the Fire Rescue Service of the South Bohemia Region. Furthermore, I have made a comparison between the two basic types of air breathing apparatuses that are being used, in terms of the protection period, which have been provided to the users (carriers). The participants of this inquiry were members of the FRS of the South Bohemia Region, which include the separation of chemical and technical services into the various local departments. I have received the data from twenty different fire stations in total. In the questionnaire which was given, I collected the data from the respondents, according to their age and added the number of different types of breathing apparatus and cylinders and period or time of use to this study. The data was collected during February and March 2010. Hypothesis 1: the number of pieces of the breathing apparatus equipment in the South Bohemia Fire Rescue units is sufficient; this was confirmed. The result has been compared with the numerical data collected from the indicated positions in the current legislation set to 1.7 times of the number of the members serving in one inning. Hypothesis 2: that these breathing apparatuses meet the requirements of all of the current legislation; this has not been confirmed. The result shows a comparison of the technical parameters of the instruments and technical conditions, as reported by the Interior Ministry decree No. 255/1999 Coll. as amended, regarding the technical conditions kind of fire. The results will be used to establish the financial balance sheet and the planned purchases of the pressurized breathing apparatus equipment and the used variations of the composite cylinders.
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