MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY! FIREFIGHTER DOWN! IF HE CAN’T FIND HIS MIC… WILL THEY FIND HIM IN TIME?

Poor communications is among the top five factors in line-of-duty deaths.

A wall collapses and a firefighter is pinned. With just a few minutes of air left, he’s disoriented and scared. He can’t locate his mic.Panic sets in. His breathing becomes rapid and shallow.

Will they find him in time to save him?

The mic… it’s the firefighter’s lifeline to safety and survival. A recent string of injuries and even deaths among firefighters have been reported in which radio issues were partially responsible. As a result, to minimize injuries, the IAFC has adopted new directives for “Best Practices For Microphone Use.”

The Mic Keeper secures the mic in the proper IAFC?position to save a life. The IAFC says that firefighters should “ensure that the microphone is placed one to two inches from the mouth or SCBA voice port with the microphone positioned directly in front of the audio source.” In compliance with IAFC recommendations and to ensure effective radio transmissions many firefighters are turning to the retractable Mic Keeper to properly secure their radio equipment.

“Not enough attention is paid to how firefighter’s clip their microphones.”

Mic Keeper ensures that firefighters’ mics will always be where they expect it.

According to Raul Angulo, a 32-year veteran of the Seattle FD and captain of Ladder Company 6 and who teaches classes on firefighter entrapment says, “During training, I deliberately pull the trainees’ mic cord loose for one evolution of an emergency scenario, like becoming trapped from a sudden fall through a floor. This simulates one of the most terrifying ordeals for a firefighter in an actual fire…the inability to call for help. When a firefighter’s life depends on using his mic to make a Mayday call, just clipping it to a tab is unsafe and insecure. It allows the mic to become easily dislodged during a fall. As the trainee desperately flails around trying to find his mic, he realizes he is using up precious air reserves and he hasn’t even called for help yet.

“As for a lifeline for survival, I have found no better safety accessory than the retractable tether system of Gear Keeper.”

 

In addition to the Fire Mic retractable tether, Gear Keeper offers a complete line of tethering systems. The full array of Gear Keeper tethers and accessories are available on the company’s website. For more information regarding Gear Keeper’s Fireman Flashlight Retractor Kits (4-AA flashlight model RT2-4322 & the larger 3-C/ 4-C Rechargable Flashlight model RT3-4323) visit http://www.gearkeeper.com. nike air max nike air max

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