Delphi Study on the Management System and Occupational Environment Improvement of SCBA and Charging Rooms

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate and suggest priorities for policy implementation to improve the management system and environment of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and charging rooms used by firefighters. The study included 15 experts and three interviews, and two modified Delphi surveys were conducted. Based on the results of previous research and expert interviews, the management system and environmental improvement plan for the SCBA and charging rooms were first derived. The improvement plan was presented in five areas, including resources, the SCBA and charging room management system, SCBA related work, SCBA charging room related work, and laws and regulations. The priority of policy implementation was derived by simultaneously analyzing the importance and practicality of the policy. Consequently, the first priority was to add contents to the manual for measures to prevent unwanted drinking of the Han River water and related symptoms for rescue workers during hardship rescue. The second priority was to specify the duty of decontamination in the disaster scene standard handling procedure and disaster scene return procedure stage. The next step was to investigate by conducting education on the risk of health effects of pollutants at disaster scenes. The results of this study can be utilized in the implementation of mid- to long-term fire policies for the systematic operation and establishment of a systematic management system for firefighters’ personal protective equipment, such as SCBA and charging rooms.