Question 1. What is contained in the ship's fireman's outfits?

Answer: A fireman's suit with boots and gloves; a Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA); harness and safety line; a protective helmet; safety lamp; and a fireman's hand axe with insulated handle.

Question 2. What is the construction of the fireman's 'safety line' and why is so constructed?

Answer: The safety line is a woven flax line constructed about a steel core. The purpose of this construction is that the steel core would not be burned through, even if the flax caught alight.

Question 3. When kitting a man up with the SCBA, what safety checks would you make?

Answer: I would check the condition of all the web straps that they are not worn and that they are secure about the body. Inspect the air content gauge and ensure that the bottle is full. When turning on the air valve I would listen for the 'whistle' alarm signal.

When placing the mask over the face an even tension must be applied to the mask straps in order to create an airtight/smoke seal. This would be subsequently checked by shutting the air valve so that the wearer would experience the mask 'crushing' onto the face, so creating a partial vacuum. This denotes that the wearer is not drawing air from around the sealed mask, and is therefore providing an effective smoke seal. I would then open up the valve to allow the...