Smoke is the #1 killer in fires - part of that being the smoke and part of that the heat of the air you are breathing in which is why Firefighters wear air packs instead of filters.
There are several dedicated smoke masks / filters and dedicated smoke escape hood on the Market. I'm curious to know if they are really any better than a wet bandanna.
In case of fire I'd want a nomex balaclava and fire fighting goggles not melt-to-your-head hat & glasses. The headlamp and water is also a good idea. I want hands free light in a situation like that.
FR gloves as well.Originally Posted by Lomshek
We use self rescuers they're not cheap somewhere around $1000aud but you don't need air for them to work.
They have a ten year shelf life five year working life.
They are mainly intended for you to use to escape, the figure that gets thrown around at work is you have 15 min of breathable air if you are working, longer if you are sitting patiently waiting. We have oxygen candles, oxygen cylinders, scrubbers ect as well. Obviously if you can use that stuff you're in a pretty safe area.
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This has already provided some great food for thought. I appreciate everyone's replies and look forward to more input.
This bag used to contain a dedicated dust mask. While the pack was temporarily retired, I pulled the mask for a sanding project. I'll make sure to replace it.
Not trying to be dense, but are you asking what good these tools could do, or are you asking about the structure and its layout?
I could definitely have larger items in/on/under my desk. Problem is that I'll be very unlikely to grab them unless the emergency is way over the top (i.e. violent earthquake, which is a far lower probability).
If I'm just headed to the stairs because the alarms are going off, I don't yet know if it's a false alarm or a real fire. It's doubtful I'd grab anything besides the bag under such circumstances.
I played around with one of those disposable emergency units (I think it was the Evacutech Rescue Mask) that sticks onto your face. It was meant to double as a protective face shield and filter. I was not impressed. We had a huge box of them in my old office. Of course no one else knew we had them since they were never mentioned to us in safety briefings.
Never personally tried the units that look like a plastic bag over your head. I was about to buy one many years ago, but it was recalled for numerous safety issues. I don't remember the specific make/model.
"If you run into an a**hole in the morning, you ran into an a**hole. If you run into a**holes all day, you're the a**hole." - Raylan Givens
This perfectly sums up my original intent for the bag.
I'm open to potentially evolving it from there, but that really captures my original goal.
"If you run into an a**hole in the morning, you ran into an a**hole. If you run into a**holes all day, you're the a**hole." - Raylan Givens
A dust mask will come in handy for dust of the 9/11 variety, but it won't help you when the oxygen level drops in a fire. FYI nothing the FD wears is fire proof, just resistant. Take a look at fire helmets from busy companies and you'll see how much of a beating their stuff takes from heat. I think the dust mask might be useful, just don't count on that kind of stuff to do things it's not designed to do.
Pry bars. Our door guy carried a small pry bar in addition to our serious entry tools. We could pop screen doors quietly with it to access entry doors, but for real doors we used other tools. I'm not sure what you anticipate using your bars for, but commercial doors and even quality residential doors can be tough.
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Escape hoods are effective as escape hoods.
They're not meant to be used in place of an SCBA for rescues....but they're very effective in getting you out of the building/hot zone/ect.
"Are you ready? Okay. Let's roll."- Last words of Todd Beamer
Non contact voltage testers (inductive amplifiers) are handy tools but have severe limitations. Most will not read through the metal jackets of cabling or conduit. They will also give false readings. The best plan is to treat everything as if it's hot and don't touch it. If you have to touch something to clear a path use the back of your hand.
If you want to add one to your kit Fluke makes one that has an LED flashlight built in. It is also supposed to be able to pick up through metal jackets but again, take it with a grain of salt.
If the mag locks are engaged you're not going to open doors with a small, handheld prybar. You're not going to beat or scratch your way through any fire doors either.
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Sounds like you have it about covered.
I remember reading some years ago of a high rise evac pack that was a climbing harness and some sort of self arresting descender that used a steel cable or tape. I do not know if it was produced or practical.
I had wondered about conventional rappelling descents but with the line being at risk from fire, sharp edges etc.. and how much line it would take to reach the ground this seems problamatic
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