December 2001
Investigation of MSA PASS Devices
The IAFF has been notified by Norfolk Fire Department
(Virginia) of problems with the Mine Safety Appliances (MSA) ICM 2000+
integrated personal alert safety system devices (PASS). The fire department,
working on the problem in conjunction with IAFF Local 68, has been experiencing
water infiltrating “water tight” housings and analog gauges becoming loose. The
fire department also reports that the units go into “full alert” during normal,
routine and expected use. The repeated failures of the PASS device have resulted
in the fire fighters desensitization to the potentially life saving alarm.
Similar problems have been reported in Carrollton, Texas and Toronto, Ontario.
The Safety Equipment Institute has opened an investigation
into the matter. The Safety Equipment Institute is the independent testing
laboratory that has certified the MSA PASS devices to meet NFPA standards.
MSA has issued a
User Advisory on the ICM
2000.
Any IAFF members
that have experienced problems with the ICM 2000+ PASS device should
document the incidents in writing. Please email these reports to the IAFF
Department of Health and Safety at
safety@iaff.org or fax them to 202-737-8418.
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