The following steps must be taken when filling SCBA cylinders:

1. All cylinders being filled must be recorded as per NFPA regulations.
2. Do a visual check to make sure the bottle has not been damaged. Record the bottle number if numbered or serial number stamped on bottle. Record date and time filled and by whom. Use proper protection when filling SCBA cylinders. This means a fragmentation station.
3. Record the last hydrostatic test date on cylinder. 
   Note: Steel and aluminum cylinders need hydro test every 5 years.
   Note: Fiber and carbon wrapped bottles need hydro test every 3 years (life of these bottles is 15 years).
   It is not permitted to fill bottles that are over the test date!
4. Hook up the SCBA cylinder to the fill whip by means of the hand tight fill swivel connection. Check the bleeder valve to ensure it is closed. Note: This is a needle valve so do not over tighten. Open the valve on your SCBA bottle and close the fragmentation door.
5. Note the pressure on the regulator. The high pressure gauge will show air in cascade bottles. Low pressure gauge will show fill pressure that regulator is set at. Make sure this setting is correct for 2216, 3000 or 4500 psi SCBA cylinders that you want to fill.
6. For use when cascading. Open the lowest pressure cascade bottle, if you use the cascade system - for bulk fill leave your cascade bottles open at all times. Note: each cascade bottle will have a tag on it, marked high, medium and low, this is for easy identification of which is the lowest pressure bottle in order to allow complete use of air before moving to next bottle. Always close the lower pressure bottle before opening next cascade bottle; this is necessary only if you are using the cascading method of fill, not the bulk fill .
7. Open the valve on the Fragmentation panel, for the appropriate SCBA cylinder and allow cylinder to fill until the gauge labeled with this valve shows the pressure your regulator is set at. Note: filling should take 5 minutes to fill, as your system has restrictors installed to limit the speed of fills.
8. If the SCBA cylinder is not full, close the cascade bottle and top off the SCBA with the next highest-pressure cylinder, if cascading or the compressor will finish the filling process, as the Fragmentation unit will automatically do this.
9. When SCBA is full, close the panel valve and open fragmentation door. Close the SCBA valve and open the bleeder valve to drain pressure from between SCBA valve and panel valve before removing connection to SCBA. Pressure for the valve will show empty before you can disconnect the hand tight connection on the SCBA.

   Note: If the storage system and the compressor are sized properly, there is no advantage to cascading your bottles.