My company is in the process of upgrading our SCBA. We are going with Scott due to the fact that our guys like the Scott Packs and ALL of our neighboring companys use Scott. We threw the idea around about NxG7s but that was shot down due to financial restrictions and the fact that only 1 of our neighboring companies uses them, and they are using NxG2s. My question is has anyone dealt with the Air-Pak 75s? I would like to know pros/cons and your personal likes/dislikes before we decide on our purchase. Thanks!

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Brett,

My department use Scott packs exclusively and has for years. When they they were originally purchased who knows why they got them, price/sales person/who knows. Ever since we have stuck with Scott to maintain consistancy.

The department is a combination department with an average of 6 "real" structure fire a year. We have had excellent luck with them. Very few problems, and when we do we either have parts or a quick turn around for our service contractor.

Any questons let me know....Jeff
Thanks Jeff. We currently are using Scott 2.2 Low Pressure Packs that are about 15 years old and some have malfunctioned in non-critical times. Needless to say, those are the only times they will malfunction anymore as we ARE going to upgrade, as malfunctioning in a live environment is unacceptable. We currently have about 3/5 of the funds necessary and are just starting a large fund raising project. We are getting about 2/5 of the funds from the PA State Fire Commissioner's Office grant and about 1/5 from our relief association. The rest we have to raise ourselves. We have spec'ed out 10 Scott Air-Pak 75s, 20 Carbon Fiber bottles, 10 AV-3000 masks, and all packs with DEBSS.
Brett,

You are going to love the up grade!

I understand where you are at, there is NO WAY any department can accept malfunctioning air packs.

Good luck with the funding. Due to oue call volume and operating budget, we have problems getting grants. That is a difficult thing explain to the city administartion why some always seem to get extra funding. But when I see how some of the things people use their grant money for you must shake your head.

Take care..Jeff
Besides safety I think the biggest deciding factor should be, what does your mutual aide department run. Standardizing equipment saves a lot time and increases efficency. It's nice to know that you can go to any apparatus on the scene and grab a pack and it's one you know how to operate.
Monday night we finalized our plans to order our SCBA in steps. The Engine gets 6 new SCBA now and next year or later this year, The Rescue will get 4. We ordered 6 Scott Air-Pak 75s (2216 psi, integrated PASS, DEBSS), 12 Carbon Fiber cylinders (1 per pack, 1 spare per pack), and 6 AV-3000 masks. All of our IMMEDIATE mutual aid companies are using Scott 2216 psi SCBA, so we will be compatible with them. These will all be placed on our Engine.
you will love the 2216 bottle when and if you use a cascade fill. a lot more air time than 4500. and lighter weight. mutual aid smart move. we bought new scott 50 a couple years back and went to the other dept. and made a collective descion to buy scott 2.2 for that reason. three of the five depts have stayed but two bought new trucks and went with other packs. bummer. you will really like the 3000 mask , they are a jump over the 2000.
Our Dept. just got the new Scott 75's also, along with the pak tracker for downed firefighters. Right now all hands are going through training on the new scotts and then hopefully at the end of the month or 1'st week in January they will be placed on all rigs here in Arlington, VA. As far as the pak tracker goes supposedly this thing is supposed to be pretty good. Some of our guys tested it out at the Pentagon and it was able to go through 3 rings of the Pentagon to find the activated Pak. Only annoying thing I see happening is when people have their bottles on and don't move and activate the alarm, there's going to be a lot of false activations and more radio time being tied up with seeing if its a real emergency or not. Other than that I think their great so far from trying them out in the class.
Where are you getting your information from? A standard 2216 bottle (30 minute rating) and a standard 4500 bottle (30 minute rating) hold the same amount of air. The difference is the pressure that the air is squeezed into the bottle with. The 4500 bottle has thicker walls due to the pressure. But, the 30 minute 4500 bottle has a much lower profile than the 2216 bottle. We went with 45 minute 4500 psi bottles. They are about the same physical size as the 2216 bottles. The biggest advantage to Scott is their interchangeability and there notification systems. First, you can use a pack this is from the 70's and completely upgrade it to use all of the features or todays packs, provided the regulator still passes bench testing. This is a great lower cost option for a lot of departments. My vollie/part time department did this with packs in the 15-20 year old range. Then we got a grant and replaced them a few years later. If you are having pack failures, just get them serviced, it is probably a relatively easy fix. Second, all other packs on the market have springs in the first stage regulator with a redundant back up spring should the first one fail. If that happens, you will never know it, until it is opened for the annual bench test. I assume that all of your packs get tested annually. If the first stage spring fails in a Scott, the vibralert will go off. The user will the check his pressure and see a full or relatively full bottle. If this occurs, your pack will still function. However, you have been warned of an internal failure and need to exit and get a new pack. The all packs should go into a free flow if both springs fail. Enjoy your new packs.
We use the Scott 4.5 (4500).(carbon fiber bottles) ..Have integrated PASS alarm, EBSS and RIT connector...We use them a lot and as the saying goes....If it ain't broken then leave it alone....All our interior people are also extensively Trained in their use and have Firefighter Survival training as well....Paul
Lil late with this reply but I'll give it a go anyway. It is def a good move to go with a pack that mutual aid depts use. I don't know who runs a RIT team down by Gratz but it will help your guys in a fire. God forbid a RIT team goes into service, but it helps if the team understands the pack and its functions.
J,I think he's referring to being able to fill more 2.2 than 4.5 from a cascade system which is true inless you have a booster pump.At least that's the way I read it.
I prefer Scott, but my current dept. and those around us are all using MSA. Air-pak 75 should be a good choice, as long as they are upgraded to the most current specs.

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