November/December 2007

Avon-ISI Attains SCBA Certification With Viking Z Seven

By Lyn Bixby

Avon-ISI is the third of seven manufacturers of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) to attain certification under the tough 2007 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards that took effect at the beginning of September.

In mid-October Avon joined Mine Safety Appliances (MSA) and Scott Health and Safety as the only SCBA makers at that point to pass the entire series of demanding new tests established by NFPA in response to investigations of firefighter deaths that raised questions about the reliability of personal alert safety system (PASS) alarms.

“It’s been an 18-month project,” said Ernie Younkins, Avon’s SCBA project manager. “It went a little bit slower at the end than we thought it should have, but it’s over with now. We’re just very happy that it’s finished.”

He said the company had six-weeks worth of back orders for its new Viking Z Seven unit, and the first one went out the door with a 2007 NFPA certification label in October.

A Total Redesign

NFPA standards are reviewed and updated every five years, and Younkins said the 2007 editions of NFPA 1981, the SCBA standard, and NFPA 1982, the PASS standard, were the most difficult to attain during the 24 years he has been involved in SCBA design and production.

“Every five years we’re going through this,” he said. “The last change wasn’t so bad on us because we already had electronics and the heads-up display. So we only had to make a couple of little changes. But this was a total redesign of primarily the electronics to pass the heat and dunk test.”

The heat and water immersion test is by all accounts the most difficult under the 2007 editions of the 1981 and 1982 standards. The SCBA is put in an oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes and then immediately dunked in water for 15 minutes and then put back in the oven for 15 minutes and back in water for 15 minutes through six identical cycles. At that point the battery compartments and electronic devices are inspected for any signs of moisture, which is not allowed.

Monitoring Vital Data

The Viking Z Seven may soon be subjected to that same test again, according to Younkins, because Avon-ISI is going to have to resubmit the unit for approval of the electronics used for the company’s air management component, known as ISI TEAMS (Telemetry Electronic Air Management System). The system individually and simultaneously monitors vital data of every firefighter at a scene, providing incident commanders with real-time information on PASS status, ambient temperature, cylinder air, and time in fire.

Younkins said it will be up to NFPA officials to determine which tests to use for the SCBA with the TEAMS device. He said putting the Viking Z Seven though some of the same tests it already passed could jeopardize the certification it received in October.

“That’s the sad thing about it,” he said. “Even though you’re only having this accessory tested, if anything fails on the air pack because of that then they’re going to ask you why it failed. So you hate to go back through it again because you’re leaving yourself wide open.”

As of Nov. 9, Avon-ISI, Scott and MSA were the only SCBA manufacturers with full 2007 certification under both applicable NFPA standards, and Scott is the only one with two different SCBA models certified.

Web Site Posting

The other four manufacturers that had SCBAs certified under the previous editions of NFPA 1981 and 1982 are Sperian Fire (formerly Survivair), Dräger, Interspiro and Global Secure Safety Products.

Interspiro was the first manufacturer to be certified under the 2007 edition of the 1981 SCBA standard, achieving that at the beginning of September, but the company is still going through testing for the 1982 PASS standard. Company President Mike Brookman said he believed Interspiro would complete the testing and be shipping 2007-certified units by Thanksgiving.

Sperian’s senior SCBA product manager, Steve Weinstein, has said his company expects to have a unit fully certified before the end of the year.

When a company has an SCBA certified under either of the two applicable NFPA standards, the information is posted on the Web site of the Safety Equipment Institute, a private, non-profit organization established to administer non-governmental, third-party testing and certification programs for a broad range of safety products.