How to Record Cylinder Filling

This guide explains how to record cylinder filling activities and manage filling logs in StationOne.

Prerequisites

• Brigade admin or brigade user role
• BA module enabled for your organisation
• Understanding of cylinder filling procedures and safety
• Access to cylinders in your unit

What is a Filling Log?

A filling log records each time a BA cylinder is filled with compressed air. It tracks:

• Who filled the cylinder
• When it was filled
• Pressure before and after filling
• Fill method used (cascade, direct, partial)
• Any notes or observations

Filling logs provide:

• Cylinder usage tracking
• Maintenance planning data
• Compliance documentation
• Problem identification (frequent fills may indicate leaks)
• Cascade system efficiency analysis

Recording a Cylinder Fill

Method 1: From Cylinder Page

1. Navigate to Breathing Apparatus → Cylinders
2. Find the cylinder you’ve filled
3. Click on the cylinder to view details
4. Click Log Fill button
5. Fill in the filling log form (see below)
6. Click Save Filling Log

Method 2: From BA Set Page

1. Navigate to Breathing Apparatus → BA Sets
2. Find the BA set containing the cylinder
3. Click on the BA set to view details
4. In the Cylinder section, click Log Fill
5. Fill in the filling log form
6. Click Save Filling Log

Method 3: From Filling Logs List

1. Navigate to Breathing Apparatus → Filling Logs
2. Click New Filling Log button
3. Select cylinder from dropdown
4. Fill in the filling log form
5. Click Save Filling Log

Filling Log Form Fields

Cylinder Selection

If starting from filling logs list:

• Choose the cylinder from dropdown
• Only shows cylinders in your unit
• Search by asset ID or serial number

Pressure Before Fill (optional)

When to use:

• Partial fills (topping up partially empty cylinder)
• Useful for tracking cascade efficiency
• Leave blank for complete fills from empty

Enter value in bar:

• Example: 150 (if topping up from 150 bar)
• 0 (if completely empty)

Tip: For complete fills, leaving this blank assumes starting from empty.

Pressure After Fill (required)

Enter final pressure in bar:

• Should match cylinder working pressure for complete fill
• Example: 200, 232, 300 (depending on cylinder rating)
• Must be entered for the log to save

Important: This value updates the cylinder’s current pressure in the system.

Fill Method (required)

Select the method used for filling:

Cascade

• Most Common Method
• Uses multiple storage cylinders at different pressures
• Fills cylinder progressively from lowest to highest pressure storage
• Most efficient method (conserves air)
• Standard procedure in most stations

When to use: Standard fills using cascade filling system.

Direct

• Direct connection from compressor to cylinder
• Single-stage filling
• Higher air consumption
• Faster but less efficient

When to use:

• Cascade system unavailable
• Emergency rapid fills
• Single cylinder filling
• Field operations

Partial

• Topping up partially empty cylinder
• May use cascade or direct method
• Records before and after pressure

When to use:

• Cylinder used but not empty
• Maintaining operational readiness
• Quick top-ups between calls
• Preventative maintenance

Notes (optional)

Record any observations or special circumstances:

Useful information to include:

• Issues encountered: “Slow fill due to valve restriction”
• Cascade bottles used: “Used cascade bottles 1 and 2”
• Special procedures: “Cooled cylinder before fill”
• Maintenance needs: “Cylinder requires valve service”
• Environmental conditions: “Fill in hot weather, extra cooling time”
• Training fills: “Training exercise fill”

Examples:

• “Topped up from 150 to 200 bar”
• “Cascade bottle 3 needed refilling halfway through”
• “Fill valve stuck initially, worked free with gentle pressure”
• “Cylinder recently returned from hydrostatic test”

Date and Time

• Automatically recorded when you save
• Uses current date and time
• Cannot be changed after saving
• Displayed in your local timezone

User Information

• Automatically recorded as the user who saved the log
• Shows who performed the fill
• Cannot be changed after saving
• Used for activity tracking and accountability

After Saving a Filling Log

When you save a filling log:

Cylinder Current Pressure Updates

• Automatically set to “pressure after fill” value
• Visible on cylinder page
• Visible on BA set page (if cylinder assigned to set)
• Used for readiness indicators

Filling History

• Log added to cylinder’s filling history
• Chronological list of all fills
• Available on cylinder page under “Filling Logs” tab

BA Set Status (if applicable)

• BA set shows updated cylinder pressure
• Readiness status may change (empty → ready)

Reports

• Fill appears in filling log reports
• Available for analysis and compliance

Viewing Filling History

For a Specific Cylinder

1. Navigate to cylinder
2. Click Filling Logs tab
3. View table of all fills for this cylinder:
   • Date and time
   • User who performed fill
   • Pressure before/after
   • Fill method
   • Notes
4. Sort by date (most recent first)
5. Filter by date range if needed

Use Cases:

• Check how often cylinder is filled
• Identify if cylinder needs servicing (frequent fills)
• Review recent filling activity
• Verify who filled cylinder

For All Cylinders (Brigade Level)

1. Navigate to Breathing Apparatus → Filling Logs
2. View all filling logs for your unit
3. Filter options:
   • Date range: Specific period
   • Cylinder: Specific cylinder
   • User: Who performed fills
   • Fill method: Cascade, direct, partial
4. Sort by date, cylinder, or user
5. Export to CSV for detailed analysis

Hierarchical Access:

• Brigade: Sees only brigade fills
• Group: Sees all brigades in group
• District: Sees all groups in district
• Region: Sees all districts in region
• Organisation: Sees all fills across organisation

Filling Reports and Analysis

Cylinder Usage Report

Generate usage analysis:

1. Navigate to Filling Logs
2. Click Reports → Cylinder Usage
3. Set date range (e.g., last 30 days, last quarter)
4. View table showing:
   • Cylinder asset ID
   • Number of fills in period
   • Average days between fills
   • Last fill date
   • Current pressure
5. Export to CSV

Insights:

• Cylinders filled frequently may have leaks
• Cylinders rarely filled may be spares (verify assignment)
• Even distribution indicates good rotation
• Outliers require investigation

Fill Method Analysis

Analyse filling procedures:

1. Click Reports → Fill Method Analysis
2. Set date range
3. View breakdown:
   • Percentage cascade vs direct vs partial
   • Number of fills by method
   • Average pressure by method
4. Identify trends

Insights:

• High direct fill percentage may indicate cascade issues
• Many partial fills may suggest operational patterns
• Cascade usage indicates efficient operations

User Activity Report

Track who performs fills:

1. Click Reports → User Activity
2. Set date range
3. View:
   • Fills per user
   • Which users fill which cylinders
   • Activity patterns
4. Identify training needs or workload distribution

Date Range Analysis

View filling activity over time:

1. Click Reports → Activity Over Time
2. Set long date range (e.g., full year)
3. View chart/table:
   • Fills per week/month
   • Seasonal patterns
   • Peak activity periods
4. Plan maintenance and cascade refilling schedules

Insights:

• Higher activity in summer (training season)
• Lower in winter
• Patterns around events or operations

Cascade System Management

Monitoring Cascade Efficiency

Track how well cascade system is performing:

1. Review filling logs for cascade fills
2. Check notes for cascade bottle usage patterns
3. Look for:
   • “Cascade bottle X empty mid-fill” (indicates need to refill)
   • Multiple cascade bottles needed per fill (normal)
   • Always using direct (indicates cascade problem)

Planning Cascade Refills

Use filling data to plan when to refill cascade:

1. Generate cylinder usage report
2. Count recent cascade fills
3. Calculate:
   • Number of cylinders that can be filled before cascade needs refill
   • Estimated time until cascade refill needed
4. Schedule cascade refill before it runs out

Typical Pattern:

• 3-4 cylinder fills per cascade bottle bank
• Plan refill after 10-15 cylinder fills
• Varies based on cascade size and pressure

Cascade Maintenance

Document cascade system issues:

1. If cascade has problems, note in filling logs:
   • “Cascade bottle 2 valve leaking”
   • “Cascade pressure gauge inaccurate”
   • “Cascade manifold requires service”
2. Create action for cascade repairs
3. Use direct fill method temporarily
4. Track when cascade back to normal operation

Troubleshooting

Cannot Find Cylinder to Log Fill

Symptoms: Cylinder doesn’t appear in dropdown when logging fill.

Causes:

• Cylinder belongs to different unit (you can only log fills for your unit)
• Cylinder is decommissioned
• No access to that cylinder

Solutions:

• Verify cylinder belongs to your unit
• Check if acting as correct unit
• Ask brigade admin if you should have access
• Ensure cylinder status is not “Decommissioned”

Filling Log Not Saving

Symptoms: Click save but form doesn’t submit or shows error.

Causes:

• Missing required fields
• “Pressure After Fill” not entered
• “Fill Method” not selected
• Network connection issue

Solutions:

• Check all required fields are filled
• Ensure “Pressure After Fill” has a value
• Select a fill method
• Check internet connection
• Try again

Current Pressure Not Updating

Symptoms: Saved filling log but cylinder current pressure still shows old value.

Causes:

• Page needs refresh
• System delay
• Database update issue

Solutions:

• Refresh the cylinder page
• Wait a few seconds and check again
• Check filling log was actually saved (view filling logs tab)
• If log exists but pressure not updated, contact admin

Can’t See Other Users’ Filling Logs

Symptoms: Can only see fills you performed, not others.

Cause: This is normal. All filling logs in your unit are visible, but may be filtered by default.

Solution:

• On filling logs page, clear user filter
• Select “All Users” if dropdown available
• Should show all fills for unit

Wrong Pressure Entered

Symptoms: Logged fill with incorrect pressure value.

Solution: Unfortunately, filling logs cannot be edited once saved. Options:

1. Add a new filling log with correct pressure (note: “Correcting previous entry”)
2. Manually edit cylinder current pressure if needed
3. Contact administrator to delete incorrect log if critical

Prevention:

• Double-check pressure reading before saving
• Verify cylinder gauge reading
• Confirm values match fill completion

Best Practices

Filling Procedure

Always Log Fills Immediately

• Don’t wait until end of shift
• Log as soon as fill is complete
• Fresh memory means accurate data
• Prevents forgetting details

Measure Pressure Accurately

• Use cylinder gauge, not cascade gauge
• Allow time for pressure stabilisation
• Account for temperature effects
• Verify reading before logging

Include Useful Notes

• Document anything unusual
• Note cascade bottles used
• Record any issues encountered
• Include environmental conditions if relevant

Filling Safety

Follow Manufacturer Procedures

• Never exceed working pressure
• Allow adequate cooling time
• Use proper connections and fittings
• Check for leaks before and after filling

Inspect While Filling

• Visual inspection of cylinder
• Check for damage, corrosion
• Verify test due date not expired
• Listen for leaks or unusual sounds

Safety Checks

• Ensure area is well-ventilated
• Keep cylinder secure during fill
• Monitor filling process
• Don’t leave unattended

Record Keeping

Be Consistent

• Use same terminology in notes
• Fill all fields even if optional (when applicable)
• Provide enough detail for future reference
• Don’t skip logging “routine” fills

Accuracy

• Record actual pressures, not estimates
• Select correct fill method
• Note special circumstances
• Be honest about issues or errors

Timeliness

• Log immediately after filling
• Don’t batch-enter logs later
• Accurate timestamps are important
• Real-time data more valuable

Data Analysis

Regular Review

• Check filling reports monthly
• Look for usage patterns
• Identify problem cylinders
• Plan maintenance proactively

Act on Insights

• Investigate cylinders filled frequently
• Schedule maintenance for problem cylinders
• Rotate cylinders evenly
• Optimise cascade usage

Compliance

• Keep logs for required retention period
• Use reports for audits
• Document maintenance decisions based on filling data
• Maintain filling procedure records

Cascade Management

Monitor Usage

• Track how many fills between cascade refills
• Note which cascade bottles used
• Plan refilling schedule
• Maintain backup procedures

Document Issues

• Log cascade problems in filling notes
• Create actions for cascade repairs
• Track cascade maintenance
• Review cascade efficiency trends

Training

Train All Users

• Ensure all personnel know how to log fills
• Practice using the system
• Understand importance of accurate data
• Know what details to include in notes

Standard Procedures

• Establish unit-level filling procedures
• Document when to log fills
• Specify level of detail for notes
• Create consistency across users

Common Questions

Q: Do I need to log partial fills (topping up)?

A: Yes, all fills should be logged regardless of method or amount. Partial fills provide valuable data on usage patterns.

Q: What if I filled multiple cylinders?

A: Log each cylinder fill separately. Each cylinder gets its own filling log entry.

Q: Can I log fills from several days ago?

A: While you can log fills anytime, the date/time will be when you create the log, not when the fill actually occurred. Always log fills immediately for accuracy.

Q: Should I log fills done during training?

A: Yes, all fills should be logged. Use the notes field to indicate “Training exercise” if relevant.

Q: What pressure should I enter for “after fill”?

A: Enter the actual pressure showing on the cylinder gauge after filling is complete and pressure has stabilised (after cooling).

Q: Do I log emergency fills in the field?

A: Yes, log these as soon as possible. Use fill method “Direct” and note in notes field “Emergency field fill during [incident]”.

Q: Can I edit or delete a filling log?

A: No, filling logs cannot be edited or deleted by users once saved. This maintains data integrity. Contact an administrator if a critical error needs correction.

Q: Who can see filling logs?

A: All members of your unit can see fills for cylinders in your unit. Higher levels (group, district, region) see fills for units under them.

Related Guides

• How to Manage BA Cylinders
• How to Manage BA Sets
• Breathing Apparatus Overview
• How to Conduct an Inspection