Use of Scuba unit for Fire/Haz-Mat Escape

[high_order1]

That's why a lot of firefighting garb for that specialty has thin aluminized (or other) coatings. The transient heat spikes are reflected rather than absorbed. They also use fire retardant stuff that chars rather than pass that thermal energy onto your skin.

I wonder how much heat typical scuba plastic can take before failing?

 

[Dapper Dan]

We had a CAT4 hurricane here couple years ago. Neuse and Newport rivers flooded the highway to the east and west so no hospitals were reachable. USCG and lifeflight was grounded. I checked on the old lady up the street and she was out of medical 02 and there was none to be had. I called up my buddy who is an EMT with the county and asked him if there was any reason she couldn't breathe my 5 cylinders of 40% nitrox I had in the garage. He said, "Well it isn't as good as pure 02, but if her 02 meter alarms and flashes "Drop" then she's likely to die. Nitrox is better than nothing."

I hooked up her mask using the flow limiter for the 02 analyzer connected to a scuba reg. Those cylinders kept her 02 meter from alarming until the roads were open and she could get 02 deliveries.