PASS device is an acronym for the Personal Alert Safety System, a one-way communications device used by firefighters entering a building to alert the outside Rapid Entry Team (Also known as a RIT, or Rapid Intervention Team), that the wearer of the PASS device is in trouble and in need of rescue.
The PASS device has two methods of being activated, manually by the firefighter or automatically when the firefighter is no longer moving. The device creates a high pitched squealing or beeping sound, which is easily heard by fellow firefighters. These style devices are powered by battery, are easily turned on using gloves and are intrinsically safe to operate in flammable or explosive atmospheres. Current standards require that the device be turned on automatically when the user turns on his or her SCBA. Older versions of PASS devices were worn on the firefighter's belt or turn out gear and required the firefighter to turn it on separately from the SCBA. Current versions ramp the volume of the alarm as time passes from the initial alarm. Some devices use a ball bearing on a track to sense firefighter movement and others utilize an infrared beam against a mirror mounted on a spring. Older versions were mounted in the SCBA backpack/harness and required to many firefighters to perform a "dance" to keep the device from alarming when waiting assignment at a fire scene. It is also important to turn off the PASS device after shutting off the SCBA, as it requires separate action (button-pushing). Otherwise the PASS will generate an embarrassing false alarm.
PASS can also mean a term when using fire extinguishers. Remember to Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep when operating an extinguisher during a fire.
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