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SOP-210Personnel & TrainingMixed

Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus

SCBA use, inspection, fit testing, and emergency procedures.

Read before using

This is a template. It is not your department's policy.

Tailboard templates are drafted as generic starting points aligned to national standards. They are nota substitute for your department's own review or for adoption through your Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). For topics carrying significant exposure (use of force, medical scope, civil rights), route through qualified counsel before adoption.

Every placeholder marked [BRACKETED] must be completed before adoption. Every section must be reviewed against your department's staffing, apparatus, water supply, EMS scope, geography, and the specific laws of your state. What applies to a career department in a city may not apply to a volunteer department in a rural jurisdiction, and vice versa.

Standards, regulations, and best practices are updated regularly. Verify the current edition of every standard cited before adopting this document. Once adopted, this document becomes your department's responsibility — not Tailboard's.

Safety-critical topic.

This template covers a life-safety topic. Content draws from NFPA, OSHA, and post-incident investigation findings (NIOSH FFFIPP). Review carefully with operational officers before adoption — errors in policies of this type are the most common finding in firefighter fatality reports.

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Open it in the Policy Builder. Answer a few questions about your staffing, apparatus, and conditions — we'll adapt every section to match.

Number

SOP-210

Version

1.0

Last reviewed

2026-01-01

Next review

2027-01-01

Summary

This policy governs the use of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for [DEPARTMENT NAME]. Parts of this policy are procedural (rigid — follow every time) and parts are guideline (flexible — based on conditions). The procedure sections are so marked. This policy aligns to NFPA 1981 (SCBA design), NFPA 1500 (safety program), and OSHA 1910.134 (federal respiratory protection standard).

Definitions

SCBA
Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus. Positive-pressure, open-circuit atmosphere-supplying respirator certified under NFPA 1981.
Vibralert / Low-Air Alarm
The audible, vibrating, and visual indicator that cylinder pressure has dropped below the low-air threshold (typically 33% of rated working pressure).
Air Management
The ongoing discipline of monitoring cylinder pressure and working toward an egress beginning no later than vibralert activation, per the "Rule of Air Management."
Fit Test
A quantitative or qualitative test performed at least annually to verify adequate face-to-facepiece seal.

Purpose

To protect members from exposure to airborne hazards by ensuring SCBA is correctly selected, used, inspected, maintained, and removed from service.

Scope

Applies to all members of [DEPARTMENT NAME] authorized to operate SCBA at any incident, training evolution, or other duty requiring atmosphere-supplying respiratory protection.

Medical Clearance and Fit Test — Procedure

  1. No member will wear SCBA without current medical clearance to use a respirator, per OSHA 1910.134.
  2. No member will wear SCBA without a current, passing fit test for the specific make and model of facepiece in use.
  3. Fit tests are performed at issuance, at annual refresher, and any time the member's fit may have changed (significant weight change, facial surgery, scarring, new dental prosthesis).
  4. Facial hair in the area of the facepiece seal is prohibited.
  5. Records of medical clearance and fit test are maintained for the duration of employment plus applicable retention.

When SCBA is Required — Procedure

  • Any atmosphere known or suspected to be IDLH.
  • Any interior structural firefighting operation until air monitoring confirms the atmosphere is safe.
  • Overhaul operations until air monitoring confirms the atmosphere is safe (CO, HCN, and particulate thresholds per department standard).
  • Any hazmat entry at the Operations level or above, per the Hazmat SOP.
  • Any confined space entry involving an unknown, suspect, or IDLH atmosphere.
  • When ordered by Command.

Before Use — Procedure

  1. Inspect SCBA at the beginning of each shift or at the beginning of volunteer duty availability.
  2. Check cylinder pressure — minimum 90% of rated working pressure.
  3. Check mask and regulator function: positive pressure, high- and low-pressure integrity, audible alarms.
  4. Check harness, straps, and remote pressure gauge.
  5. Don and adjust the mask for a proper seal using a negative-pressure user seal check at every donning.
  6. Document inspection on the SCBA log.

Air Management — Guideline

[DEPARTMENT NAME] adopts the "Rule of Air Management": know how much air you have, know how much it takes to exit, and begin the exit before the low-air alarm activates. Low-air alarm activation during interior operations is treated as an emergency.

  • Monitor your own cylinder pressure and announce it to your crew.
  • Crews begin exit planning at 50% of starting pressure (or sooner if work is deep in the structure).
  • Low-air alarm activation inside an IDLH atmosphere without a clear, close exit is a Mayday.
  • Buddy breathing (RIC/UAC connection) is an emergency measure only — not a substitute for air management.

SCBA Emergencies — Procedure

Unexpected Low-Air Alarm

  • Announce status to your crew and company officer.
  • Initiate immediate exit via the shortest known safe route.
  • If exit is not clear, declare Mayday per the Mayday SOG.

Facepiece Failure or Regulator Failure

  • Attempt to isolate the failure (e.g., use the purge valve for a runaway / continuous-flow regulator).
  • If failure cannot be controlled, declare Mayday.
  • Transition to emergency skip-breathing or buddy-breathing as trained — do not remove the facepiece.

Entanglement

  • Communicate to your partner.
  • Use SCBA entanglement / reduced-profile skills as trained.
  • If self-extrication is not possible, declare Mayday.

Inspection and Maintenance

  • Daily (or pre-use) inspection by the assigned member.
  • Monthly documented inspection per manufacturer and NFPA 1852.
  • Annual flow test on every SCBA by a qualified technician.
  • Cylinders are hydrostatically tested per DOT schedule (aluminum: every 5 years; carbon composite: every 5 years, 15-year life).
  • Facepieces are cleaned and disinfected after every use.

Responsibilities

Members

  • Maintain medical clearance and current fit test.
  • Inspect assigned SCBA pre-use.
  • Comply with air management rules.
  • Report any defect, damage, or unusual function immediately.

Company Officers

  • Verify crew SCBA compliance before deployment to IDLH.
  • Monitor crew air status.
  • Enforce the Rule of Air Management.

SCBA Program Manager

  • Maintain inspection, test, and cylinder records.
  • Coordinate annual flow testing and fit testing.
  • Manage the SCBA maintenance contract / in-house technician qualifications.
  • Report program status to the Chief annually.

Training Requirements

  • Initial SCBA training to competency before authorization to operate.
  • Annual refresher including live-fire (or simulated) donning, air management, emergency procedures, and buddy-breathing / UAC connection.
  • Fit testing annually.
  • Documented in member training record.

References

  • 29 CFR 1910.134OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard
  • NFPA 1981Standard on Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus
  • NFPA 1852Standard on Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Open-Circuit SCBA
  • NFPA 1500Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety, Health, and Wellness Program

Adapt this template

Before this template becomes your department's policy, review the following items and adjust accordingly. Anything else that does not match your operation should be updated as well.

  • Specify the SCBA make/model in use in your department in a policy attachment.
  • Confirm your department's overhaul air-monitoring thresholds (CO, HCN, benzene, formaldehyde, particulate) and document them here.
  • If you have a RIC/UAC emergency air-sharing protocol, cross-reference the RIT SOG.
  • If your department relies on a shared regional cylinder fill and test program, name the facility.

Adoption signature

Adopted by (Name, Rank)
Signature
Effective date
Next scheduled review

Before adoption checklist

  • ☐Replace [DEPARTMENT NAME] throughout the document.
  • ☐Complete every [BRACKETED] placeholder.
  • ☐Confirm the current edition of every cited standard.
  • ☐Check against your state statutes and state fire marshal rules.
  • ☐Route for chief review. Topics with significant exposure (use of force, medical scope) also go through qualified counsel.
  • ☐Confirm alignment with any mutual-aid agreements.
  • ☐Schedule a training plan for the new policy before effective date.
  • ☐Announce adoption in writing to all members. Archive the prior version.
  • ☐Set the next review date — annually at minimum.