09/04/2026
87.8% of firefighters in distress did NOT manually activate their PASS alarm.
From this data point, let me ask you a question:
When should we actually activate it?
Should the PASS alarm be activated immediately after transmitting the Mayday? Should the FID continue communicating over the radio first and activate the PASS when command or the rescue crew needs help narrowing down the location? Should it remain activated continuously, or could intentionally turning it on and off at certain points make it easier for rescuers to isolate the sound?
We also need to consider what that alarm does to the environment. A sounding PASS will increase stress for the FID, the rescue crew, and command. It will also make radio communication and face-to-face communication more difficult.
There is another piece of this that I think deserves attention.
Anything that is constant does not attract attention and eventually becomes background noise. We hear PASS alarms going off on firegrounds all the time when there is no emergency. Someone is standing outside, a pack gets set down, or somebody simply is not paying attention to it.
Over time, we can become conditioned to ignore that sound.
We need to be more disciplined about managing PASS alarms on the fireground. If your PASS is sounding and you are not in distress, reset it. The sound needs to mean something.
When a firefighter actually is in trouble, we want crews to hear that alarm and immediately recognize that it could be a real emergency.
From the rescue side, is a PASS alarm sounding continuously always the easiest thing to locate in a loud, chaotic, low-visibility environment? Or could controlled activation at specific times help the rescue crew isolate the direction of the sound?
Personally, speaking (Bassel here) and as someone coming in to locate a down firefighter, I would rather maintain communication with that firefighter and use the PASS as another locating tool instead of relying on a continuous alarm alone.
For example, let’s say the FID is Bobby. A radio transmission from our rescue crew might sound something like:
“Hey Bobby, it’s Bassel from Tower 1. We’re coming to get you, bro. Turn your PASS on for 10 seconds, then turn it back off.”
Our crew pauses movement, controls our breathing, and listens for the alarm.
If we do not hear it, we keep moving.
“Bobby, we couldn’t hear you yet. We’re pushing farther in. We’re coming for you.”
Once we reach the next space:
“Bobby, we’re in the next room. Turn your PASS on again for 10 seconds and turn it back off.”
Now maybe we hear it.
“Bobby, we hear you. Leave it on. We’re getting close.”
I am not saying that is the answer for every department, every radio system, or every Mayday. The survey does not tell us when the PASS should be activated or whether one technique is better than another. But 87.8% not manually activating it gives us a reason to have this conversation and test these concepts during training.
So I’m curious:
When does your department teach firefighters to manually activate their PASS during a Mayday?
Immediately? After the Mayday transmission? Only when directed?
Do you train firefighters to manipulate the PASS during the rescue?
And are we disciplined enough about nuisance PASS alarms that when one activates, everybody pays attention?
If you do not build these decisions into training, you cannot expect firefighters to figure them out for the first time while they are in distress.
If you or someone you know has been involved in a firefighter-in-distress incident during a structure fire, please complete the Firefighter Mayday Survey.
www.FirefighterMaydaySurvey.com
Source: First 100 Report, page 57
