By Alan M. Petrillo
Technology has allowed self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) makers to build a number of important elements into their face pieces that give firefighters instant ability to make decisions based on the data they receive.
Face pieces offer cross-contamination protection, have heads-up display (HUD) features that show the amount of pressure left in the air bottle, and incorporate elements such as breathing sensors and radio communication modules.
Protection, Comfort, Visibility
Jeff Emery, director of marketing and product management for Scott Safety, says that for Scott's face pieces the first goal is to provide firefighters with the highest level of protection possible. "That's mission number one for our face piece because respiratory protection is critical," Emery says. "There were significant changes to face pieces after [National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1981, Standard on Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for Emergency Services (2013 ed.)] was issued, where there was an increase in testing for high temperatures and radiant heat that meant new lenses made from advanced materials. The new lens materials gave our face piece a big improvement in survivability in a catastrophic event and also reduce the incidents of crazing and spider webbing at higher temperatures."
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| 1 Scott Safety's AV3000HT face piece has an EPIC 3RI radio interface, shown here with a voice amplification unit on the right side, that uses a wireless Bluetooth connection to a lapel microphone, allowing it to connect to a variety of radios. (Photo courtesy of Scott Safety.) |
Ben Mauti, fire service market manager for MSA North America, says MSA designed its G1 face piece from scratch by working with firefighters to incorporate their experiences with all types of face pieces. "Our first focus was the fit of our G1 face piece," Mauti points out. "Our medium face piece is designed to comfortably fit most firefighters and is ¾ of a pound lighter than our previous face piece. We removed the electronics and battery from the face piece, which makes it lighter and more comfortable to wear and has less physiological stress for the firefighter."
The next attribute of the G1 face piece is its "extremely wide field of view," Mauti says, "because there are no accessories attached to the face piece to block the firefighter's view." The G1 face piece provides cross contamination protection through an exhalation valve that prevents spit and sweat from getting into the regulator, he adds, and is made up of two parts. "There's one airflow path when the regulator is hooked up to the face piece and a secondary flow path, an open port design, to allow the firefighter to breath without exhalation resistance when in a standby mode."
The G1 face piece places a mechanical speech diaphragm in the breathing zone in front of a firefighter's mouth, with two microphones lining up with the open breathing port. "There is nothing in between the speech and the two microphones picking it up," Mauti says. "It's part of the regulator, so when you click it into the face piece, it's right there. The voice then gets broadcast off a speaker amplifier on the SCBA's