From 2010 through 2013, an average of 90 firefighters died in the line of duty each year (USFA, 2014). Firefighters who are off-duty continue to die as well, however, it is extremely difficult to determine whether their deaths are a result of on-duty-related exposures or not. Medical and field research has consistently found associations between smoke inhalation and acute and chronic illnesses that highlight the dangers of on-duty exposure to smoke. This study investigates the early removal of the SCBA by firefighters in one fire department while operating at fire incidents. The findings indicate that firefighters are mostly aware of the dangers that smoke inhalation and exposure presents; however, they continue to remove their SCBA prematurely, particularly during overhaul operations. This points to a need for written policies and procedures that clearly define when and for how long the SCBA must be worn on fire incidents, more frequent training on the benefits and consequences of wearing or not wearing the SCBA in a contaminated environment, and a change in mentality of current firefighters who still think breathing smoke is acceptable fire ground behavior.
","abstract_html":"<p>From 2010 through 2013, an average of 90 firefighters died in the line of duty each year (USFA, 2014). Firefighters who are off-duty continue to die as well, however, it is extremely difficult to determine whether their deaths are a result of on-duty-related exposures or not. Medical and field research has consistently found associations between smoke inhalation and acute and chronic illnesses that highlight the dangers of on-duty exposure to smoke. This study investigates the early removal of the SCBA by firefighters in one fire department while operating at fire incidents. The findings indicate that firefighters are mostly aware of the dangers that smoke inhalation and exposure presents; however, they continue to remove their SCBA prematurely, particularly during overhaul operations. This points to a need for written policies and procedures that clearly define when and for how long the SCBA must be worn on fire incidents, more frequent training on the benefits and consequences of wearing or not wearing the SCBA in a contaminated environment, and a change in mentality of current firefighters who still think breathing smoke is acceptable fire ground behavior. </p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Saas, Jordan Peter"],"institution":"Eastern Kentucky University","degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Master's","degree_discipline":"Safety, Security, and Emergency Management","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2014-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:15:25Z","subjects":["Compliance","Firefighter","Fire Safety","Fire Science","SCBA","Smoke Inhalation","Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright 2014 Jordan Peter Saas"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/214","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Saas, Jordan Peter"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Master Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Safety, Security, and Emergency Management"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Eastern Kentucky University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Compliance","Firefighter","Fire Safety","Fire Science","SCBA","Smoke Inhalation","Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2014 Jordan Peter Saas"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/214"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["From 2010 through 2013, an average of 90 firefighters died in the line of duty each year (USFA, 2014). Firefighters who are off-duty continue to die as well, however, it is extremely difficult to determine whether their deaths are a result of on-duty-related exposures or not. Medical and field research has consistently found associations between smoke inhalation and acute and chronic illnesses that highlight the dangers of on-duty exposure to smoke. This study investigates the early removal of the SCBA by firefighters in one fire department while operating at fire incidents. The findings indicate that firefighters are mostly aware of the dangers that smoke inhalation and exposure presents; however, they continue to remove their SCBA prematurely, particularly during overhaul operations. This points to a need for written policies and procedures that clearly define when and for how long the SCBA must be worn on fire incidents, more frequent training on the benefits and consequences of wearing or not wearing the SCBA in a contaminated environment, and a change in mentality of current firefighters who still think breathing smoke is acceptable fire ground behavior.
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"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/214"],"dc:publisher":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2014 Jordan Peter Saas"],"dc:source":["Encompass Digital Archive: Online Theses and Dissertations"],"dc:subject":["Compliance","Firefighter","Fire Safety","Fire Science","SCBA","Smoke Inhalation","Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene"],"dc:title":["Compliance of SCBA Training in the Lexington Fire Department"],"dc:type":["Master Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Safety, Security, and Emergency Management"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"],"thesis:institution_name":["Eastern Kentucky University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:15:25Z"}