Firefighters in the United States are dying at an alarming rate and the third leading cause of these deaths is running out of air in dangerous environments. Routinely, firefighters wait until their low air alarm activates before they leave a dangerous environment. The problem is that Orange County Fire Rescue Department (OCFRD) is allowing personnel to use this practice. The purpose of this research is to establish policies requiring firefighters to use air management in accordance with NFPA 1404.The action research method was utilized to answer the following questions: 1) How does the department's general order of air management comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards of respiratory protection? 2) What standards or guidelines for air management have other departments implemented? 3) What elements are needed to create a successful air management program for OCFRD? 4) What factors can contribute to a firefighter becoming low or out of air? and 5) What elements of training during mock scenarios can be improved to enhance the implementation of air management? Based on drills that were conducted in 2009, it was determined that the mean air usage for a firefighter using a 45 minute cylinder was just over 22 minutes while performing simulated firefighting tasks.This data and an extensive literature review demonstrate that OCFRD and other fire departments should implement a policy requiring the use of air management during emergency operations. This project concluded with the development of a written Emergency Operating Procedure requiring using the "Rule of Air Management."