Welcome to the National Breathing Apparatus Challenge

Promoting best practice in Breathing Apparatus, the competition is open to all of the UK Fire and Rescue Services.

“I would like to commend you and your team on a well run, challenging and thoroughly enjoyable experience at this excellent competition. My team and I learnt a great deal from the feedback we received. "

Iain Evans, West Midlands Fire Service
“With the reduced number of fire shouts, there’s a natural skills fade. The BA competition gave us a real focal point – a sense of purpose – and helped us attain an extremely high level of operational readiness. This can only be a good thing for both fire fighters and the communities we protect. If we are able to enter a team this year, I wouldn’t hesitate to put my name in the hat.”

Andy McKelvie, Warwickshire Fire & Rescue
"The National BA Challenge is an excellent, well run event that not only provides a chance to compete against fellow Firefighters, but also promotes best operational practice and Firefighter safety. Hertfordshire FRS have really enjoyed the last 3 years of competing and were delighted to become National Champions in 2014.”

Frank Gollogly, Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue
“Having been part of a team that reached the National BA Competition at Moreton I can only bare witness to a very professional and well organised competition that promotes best practice amongst crews. It provides crews with the arena to demonstrate their BA skills and fore ground knowledge against other Brigades from all over the country. The environment is controlled and the scenarios realistic.”

Paul Heath, West Midlands Fire Service

2024 Challenge

Overview

This year’s event will see teams of 5 firefighters from throughout the UK competing for the best BA Team of 2024. Each team will be faced with a scenario of a property fire, with teams being given 30 minutes to extinguish the fire and rescue any casualties.

Judging

All teams will be assessed by National Assessors who specialise in their fields across the UK Fire and Rescue Service. The winners of the challenge will have shown their technical and practical skills and dexterity, as well as knowledge and experience.

Important Information!

Venue: Fire Service College
Date: Friday 11th – Sunday 13th October 2024

All competing teams are advised meet at the Edinburgh Bar on Friday 11th October 2024 from 19:30 onwards where lead assessors will be available for questions and queries.
The competition will commence at 08:00 on the Saturday morning.
On Saturday evening there will be a formal dining in ceremony where the presentations will take place. This will be black tie or full undress uniform event. We ask you all to keep with tradition during the meal and keep the full undress uniform on unless instructed to remove jackets by the senior officer on the day.
The entry fee will cover the cost of the Accommodation for Friday and Saturday, meals for the Saturday and Sunday morning , silver service meal on Saturday evening for the five team members only. Other personnel and team members’ partners / guests are welcome to attend the dining on ceremony on the Saturday, but there will be an additional charge.
Overnight accommodation for Friday and Saturday night is available for team members and other personnel at the Fire Service College which can be booked though NBAC.
Teams and any guests will need to book and pay the entry fee and accommodation costs directly to NBAC email requests to nationalbachallenge@gmail.com and must include any additional guests. An invoice will then be sent out to you.
Due to the costs incurred by registering places for the challenge, the accommodation and meal, any team cancelling within 28 days of the challenge will not be eligible for a refund.
Payment of the entry fee and accommodation must be received before the 3rd September 2024 any cancellation after this date will not be refunded.
NBAC Leaflet please feel free to download and circulate around your brigade.
For further details contact nationalbachallenge@gmail.com.

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Competition Guidance

Rules

All teams will consist of FIVE personnel and will be assessed in the following areas:

Command & Control
Breathing Apparatus procedures
Fire ground procedures
Entry control

Assessment

Each team will be assessed by five assessors:

1 x Assessing Command & Control, this assessor must be Sector Competent in, Incident Command and hold the role of at least Watch Commander.
2 x Assessing the Breathing Apparatus wearers, and 1 assessing Breathing Apparatus Entry Control procedures. These assessors must be current Brigade Breathing Apparatus Instructors.
1 x Assessing general fire ground procedures, this assessor must be an Operational Instructor from a Brigade training centre.
Three venues have been identified at the Fore Service College as suitable for this year’s Challenge. There will be an independent assessor at each venue.

Scenario

The team, together with the appliance will make its way to the holding area.
The Incident Commander will be given a turnout slip with the Incident Scenario and some 7.2(d) information.
The Incident Commander will have 1 minute to ask questions, he/she will then have a further minute to brief his/her team.
He/she will then respond to the incident taking into account the speed limit on the Fore Service College fore ground which is 10mph.
Upon arrival, the team will have a maximum of 30 minutes to resolve the incident.
The exercise will be terminated by verbal communication to the Incident Commander and by radio communications to the Breathing Apparatus wearers.
At the end of the 30 minutes, crews will be hot debriefed by the assessors.
Each competing team will receive a generic debrief reports some weeks after the Challenge.
The winning team and holders of the National BA Challenge trophy, will be the team with the highest combined marks.