I was just at an instructors meeting and one of the departments there mentioned that they were having failures with the Scott AV 3000 SCBA mask. Problems like spidering and actual softening of the lens. These problems were identified during flashover training. Has anyone else come across these issues?

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Never had a problem with Scotts. We had a similar problem with older Survivair packs. They have gotten them way too hot if they are softening.
We had one that "spidered" during flashover training. It just got too hot for them. Although, as with everything man made, there can be faulty one's. But just out of curiosity, how many failures were they having?
Four spidered and two softened. Under two mins. There are no problems with the AV 2000s. The department are doing controled testing now. Measuring time and temperatures.
I've had a couple of 2000s replaced because of extreme heat, all from training burns. But I also had to have gear repaired as well. I've seen the same thing with MSA and Surprise-air as well.

I suppose it could happen in actual fire conditions, but I've only seen it happen during live fire training when the instructor got willy nilly with the heat.
Interspiro is one known to fail very often as well.

Anything man made will break.
You're right, that doesn't seem right. How hot was it getting inside the flashover cell?
I should clarify that ours was a 2000 model.
Hope you keep us updated on the your results of testing.
KSHF
My old department had wrecked multiple MSA lenses. Here's my old 3 flashover sim leather...

The Mass Fire Academy has is ever changing its policy on flashover. When I took it ten years ago, they provided helmets. Now they provide SCBA. Instructors have told me that Structural PPE is next due to the destruction of gear during the class. We are putting ourselves in the extremest conditions possible. This stuff isn't a superman costume. Everything has a fail point. If those masks have been subjected to that extreme even once, they can fail.
In my department we use the ARFF covers for the helmets in the flashover unit to protect the helmets and students. We also monitor the temperatures whilr the evolutionin is progress with regular updates.
The students don't hang out in the front of the unit. Everyone gets to be on the nozzle at least once then rotates out.
"O" yes....I go through about 2 or 3 mask's a year. I am a burn instructor for a town in my state and the mask's don't hold up. I use the av 2000 maskes which hold up better then the 3000's. The av 2000 lens doesn't soften like the 3000. I used the av 3000 for one burn and it was spidered to the point I could not see out of it. At least the av 2000 you can see out of it and get through the day or burn season. But we must remember something. The advances in turnout gear block more heat then in days gone bye. So were are able to withstand more heat. Which can put us a bad place. Now don't get me wrong I am all about trying to burn the helmet off your head. The students need heat.....BUT if the students are having the same mask issue as the instructor's then there is a problem. In my eyes anyway. So lets keep it safe cause scott is not advanceing it's mask's like the turnout companys.
I was thinking that the flashover instructor should have an ARFF faceshield as well as the helment cover on their helmets since they are camped out by the fire. We already use the ARFF helmet covers for staff and students. What do you think?
In DC we are all switching back to the 2000 masks for that reason. I've had a 3000 melt on me before.

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