Local firefighters get in pool wearing full gear as part of testing

QUINCY - Joseph Barron knew his turn had come.

With his men watching, Quincy’s fire chief pulled on his coat and boots, strapped an air tank onto his back and, with only a moment of hesitation, splashed into the swimming pool.

The chief was one of about two dozen firefighters who jumped into an elementary school pool Friday as officials conducted a series of experiments to see what happens when someone in full firefighting gear – heavy even when its dry – ends up in the water. For most, it was their first time thinking about it.

“I asked them this morning, ‘Can you float with your gear?’” said Mark Brennan, owner of Maritime Tactical Training in Hingham. “Nobody could give me an answer.”

The session, which will be repeated next week, was pulled together quickly in recent weeks after officials identified a critical gap in their training and equipment during a fast-moving Oct. 8 blaze at a Quincy marina that destroyed several boats, leaving some of the boats’ owners homeless. With no fireboats immediately available, the first firefighters on the scene had to fight the blaze from a wooden pier that was damaged by fire.

Watching from a fireboat that arrived later from Boston, Brennan said he realized they had a problem.

Fire officials agreed. Friday’s session drew firefighters from several coastal communities, including Hingham, Hull and Beverly, as well as representatives from Quincy’s police marine unit, the state’s Environmental Police and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Officials readily acknowledged that they knew little about what happened when a fully equipped firefighter ends up in the water, where 40 pounds of gear can quickly triple in weight. Firefighters regularly train for ice and water rescues and are tested on their ability to swim, but not when they’re wearing their heavy firefighting gear.

By the end of Friday’s experiments, officials had determined that firefighters will begin being dragged under water by their gear after just a few minutes, and that their tank of compressed air would do little to keep them afloat. Even if they’re able to keep their head above water, it would be nearly impossible for them to pull themselves onto a dock or pier, officials found.

“They couldn’t even lift their arms out of the water to swim,” Brennan said. “And some of these are pretty healthy guys.”

Officials also tested a range of flotation devices, from balloons that inflate automatically in water to more typical life jackets. They quickly dismissed some of them, including an inflatable device that fits around the neck and appeared likely to suffocate someone wearing a thick coat.

In the end, officials were leaning toward an inexpensive life jacket that could be worn securely under the coat.

Brennan, who led the session at no cost to the departments, said his ultimate goal is to develop standardized procedures for situations in which companies must fight a fire in areas where they risk ending up in the water. He said departments already have procedures for a range of scenarios, from structural collapses to hazardous material spills, but not necessarily for fighting fire near water.

Barron said some of Quincy’s companies already have flotation devices for ice rescues and other scenarios, but they were never meant to be worn by someone in full firefighting gear.

And in a community where many people live on or near the water, that’s a problem, Barron said. When he talked to chiefs in neighboring communities, they agreed.

“We’re all coastal communities,” he said. “We all have the same concerns.”

Neal Simpson may be reached at nesimpson@ledger.com or follow on Twitter @NSimpson_Ledger.