What does PASS stand for in firefighter safety?

• A. Personal Attachment Safety System
• B. Personal Alert Safety System
• C. Public Assistance Safety Standard
• D. Personal Air Support System

Answer: (B)

The concept being tested is the safety device firefighters rely on to signal distress and locate a teammate who may be down or unconscious. PASS stands for Personal Alert Safety System. It is worn on the gear or integrated with the SCBA and is designed to automatically alarm if a firefighter stops moving for a preset period, or can be manually activated if the firefighter is in trouble. The loud alarm helps other firefighters and incident responders quickly find and assist the person in danger, especially in smoke-filled or zero-visibility environments. Some systems also include a visual indicator or can be linked to incident alarms.

The other choices don’t reflect the standard terminology or purpose. They describe concepts that don’t match the function of signaling distress or locating a firefighter.