SCBA Training - The Maze

Here, TVFD rookies work their way through a maze setup in the meeting room. Their SCBA masks have been blacked out so that they cannot see ANYTHING.

The focus of this exercise is to teach firefighters how to use their sense of touch to navigate an unknown environment. Most times during a structure fire, the layout will be unfamiliar to firefighters and it will be pitch-black in the structure. The only way of finding their way through is by feeling their way around.

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People & Blogs

Tags:

• Tarkington
• fire
• rookie
• SCBA

[milla4da8killa]

Pussy maze. Mine was 200 feet of blackness. I think like 50 different entrecnes, only 1 way out and it was at widest, 4X6. At smallest it has to be less than 1X2. Our instructor even told us, "there's only one way out, you go in there's nothing we can do to help you if you get lost. As soon as you go in, you're on your own."

We had to go through it with tans an all. Then after that and going through, we were required to go back in and rescue the dummy, aka "Randy" as we know him.

[tarkingtonvfd]

Well, this is a temp maze we set up in our meeting room. At some point we want to build an actual building, but that's down the road. Plus, these were fresh rookies on their first time through. Any instructor that puts newbs throught what amounts to an "advanced" course that you describe is one mistake away from being judged by 12. NFPA has training regs in place for a reason, ignore 'em at your own peril.

[tarkingtonvfd]

Also, the guys have blackout masks on over their SCBA, so they were in complete blackness.

[chefd907]

what was the purpose of him kicing the table to let the firefighter know where he or she is supposed to be going?

[tarkingtonvfd]

Actually, the exact opposite. The inside of fire is an incredibly noisy, and confusing, place, and this simulated those conditions, making it difficult for the two firefighters to communicate.

[sgtbean1]

it is a great idea our FD took over the old town hall building we turned the upstairs into a maze with trap doors and rooms and obstacles which you can change all the time we turned one room down stairs into a miniature house with bedrooms a living room dining roo and a kitchen we also have another room we use for a class room. if you can find a structure and remodel it its a great idea Ill post our training center on here to help with ideas.

[saskatoonsafetyguy]

I love this! I always grab a SCBA cylinder and start blasting air out of the valve to confuse the students. You wouldn't believe how many panic and pull off their masks.

[jrgreen27]

at my dept we have the scba's mask with the mikes built in so we can talk to each other clear as day

[hawknest14]

My department actually did this training yesterday.... It is a great drill to do especially to help teach you to keep calm in an unknown environment.

[apguilbea]

and to make it worse tarkingtonvfd.... it's hard to communicate with an SCBA on anyway.... i hate that my voice is so muffled and that you have to yell for someone right next to you to hear you...

[captivemrhanky]

1X2? Sounds pretty small.... Sounds way to small.

[stvoyager]

This is coming up for myself and the other rookies in our dept. and neighboring ones soon...the winter months mean inside training and this is one thing I am told will be happening in the coming weeks...same way with the masks over us for complete blackness.