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Permalink Reply by Mary Ellen Shea on October 30, 2008 at 3:21pm

I think, if performance/safety tested and proven, the new pack is a no-brainer.

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Permalink Reply by Christopher J. Naum, SFPE on October 30, 2008 at 3:26pm

More on the New Systems
Recently, the Department of Homeland Security awarded the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) a $2 million contract to develop a new pressure vessel that will make the self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) worn by first responders substantially thinner and lighter.

A new design was developed by Sanders Industrial Design in cooperation with Vulcore Industrial of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and this concept is being refined and evaluated by a peer group of fourteen firefighters from around the country. This project is being overseen by Richard Duffy of the IAFF who heads the Occupational Health, Safety and Medicine section as an assistant to IAFF President Harold Schaitberger.

The prototype design that is currently being tested and refined consists of a series of air cylinders attached by flexible connectors between the bottles that allow for the pack to bend and conform with the firefighter’s back and movements. The smaller bottles are wrapped in a new type of material that will not shatter. Unlike conventional cylinders which contain air pressures up to 5000 psi, the new vessels won’t fragment if they’re ruptured. A punctured vessel would simply vent contained air.

The weight has been pared from 30 pounds to 8 pounds, its profile is only 1.75 inches thick, it’s rechargeable, and it’s compatible with existing air supply hoses. Another advantage from using the smaller containers is that they don’t heat up while filling, thus removing the need to “top off” the tanks after they cool down. The air packs, when emptied, are exchanged just like the cylinders are now. You simply unhook your regulator and mask and connect a filled pack. Since they are thinner and flat, they can be stacked efficiently without the need for bottle racks, thereby permitting three times the number of air packs to be stored in a truck compartment.

Since the development of the new pack requires regulatory approvals before it can be put on the market, the IAFF committee opted to initially design only one size, a 45-minute duration pack. The DHS contract calls for the full process (design, development, testing and production) to be completed within 15 months. Vulcore will make the units and supply them to all SCBA manufacturers such as MSA and Scott. They will then incorporate them with their proprietary mask systems and sell them in the same manner that they do now. The Syracuse, New York, Fire Department has received some of the prototype models.

Source: http://firegeezer.com/page/3/

IAFF Press Release; http://www.iaff.org/Comm/Press/102308SCBA.htm

Video from Syracuse; http://www.firefighternation.com/video/video/show?id=889755%3AVideo...

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Permalink Reply by Mary Ellen Shea on October 30, 2008 at 3:27pm

think how much easier the confined space maze would be in this!

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Permalink Reply by Mary Ellen Shea on October 30, 2008 at 3:39pm

oooooo.....I'd love to have an Oreck....

Seriously though, the ramifications of this pack in terms of profile, weight, and duration are more than a little intriguing. Wonder what the price point on these things is going to be.
Can you say grant application?

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Permalink Reply by Kimberly A Bownas on October 30, 2008 at 3:41pm

it looks pretty cool. Like Mary Ellen said if it is tested and proven to work efficiently in a fire and not to expensive then it is a no-brainer. Light weight is a nice thing as well. Easier on the back.

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