Gas masks?

Edwood7

Edwood7

Joined
Mar 31, 2010
Messages
2,890
Gas masks, BOB essential?

I carry a Survivor gas mask as part of my BOB, I have been through a lot of bad places down here. And I can recall a few times were my gas mask has been very useful. We move around a lot down here, all over the country. And I carry what can be called a BOB with me all the time as well as a few other essentials as do my team mates. We get called on at times to provide security for high risk individuals; usually we are embedded with the local security elements already assigned to the VIP. We find that most of the times these local security agents are very poorly equipped and not well trained (some don’t even know how to handle a gun ).

I was working in a protection detail for a security official down here; a riot broke out in one of the prisons and the official I was with had to attend the situation personally. After advising him against this, he insisted on going.

We arrived to the prison and found that the families of the rioting inmates had a riot of their own in the main gate area of the prison. The local police started dispersing gas amongst the crowd. With no way to back out, we had to exit the cars and evacuate the VIP on foot. Our local security element did not have gas masks, and as they left the car they were hit by the gas, rendering them blind and incapacitating them.

We got the VIP to a coffee shop we had scouted a day before hand, that had good cover, concrete wall, bath room etc. We stayed there till back up arrived. Those gas masks saved the day.

The next day, they gave all the local security element gas masks.

DSCN0738.jpg
 
I think the problem most of us have, is not being able to find NATO filters that are not past expiration date....I was given a "new surplus" 30year old Israeli mask that had an 80's manufacturing date on it, which was in excellent shape but had an expired filter....I am leery about purchasing filters on the internet... anybody have a reliable source?
 
Gas Masks??


Get one for free........
Every citizen here has one with fresh filters and antropine
 
I would say they're not really useful at all for most of us. If I had your job or lived in Israel then yeah it's a good thing but for most of us it's just dead weight.
 
They might be handy if you lived or worked in, or visited Oakland, California.
 
I've looked online and not found any that I trust for the $$ investment. I read somewhere that truck/rail/plant chemical spills are in the top three potential emergency evacuation scenarios. So a real mask would be nice, albeit cumbersome. I keep a couple of N95 masks in my BOB, more to protect from potential disease than anything else.
 
I've got an old surplus mask, I would be very surprised if the expiration date hadn't passed by a good number of years

i guess its still better than nothing though

right??
 
I think this is one of those that is pretty location specific and personal choice. The filters on these only last for about an hour so for a case like you first added I can see, but anything outside of this you would need several filters just to get by for a few hours and this just doesnt seem logical. Sure if the "gas" is creeping your way you will wish you had one, but if the "gas" stays around for longer???

Even stored in your basement for "THE DAY" you would need one for each family member and stacks of filters to make it worth it. I am a better to have it and not need it kind of guy, but for now have not included anything more than the N95 masks....
 
I had an Israeli surplus mask years ago. Turned it into a bong.
 
Personally, if the sh** ever hits the fan like that, and I need a gas mask to survive in a post-apocalyptic world where people in uniforms are lobbing toxic fume canisters at me.... I think I'd just give up at that point. There's no way I'm carrying that in my BOB. Some cash, credit cards, food, tools, defensive stuff, clothes, and first aid until I get to somewhere safe? Yes, check. Gas mask? No.
 
Here is some info on the one i carry.

Developed specifically for first responders in tactical, NBC and riot-control situations, the Opti-Fit Tactical Gas Mask provides respiratory protection from nuclear, biological and chemical agents in addition to riot control agents including CN, CS and pepper spray.

The Tactical Gas Mask is based on the popular Opti-Fit full facepiece APR. And because it features SURVIVAIR’s superior Opti-Fit lens, you enjoy a virtually distortion-free field of vision, critical in high-risk situations.

Opti-Fit Tactical Gas Mask Features

• Superior field of vision —unobstructed view in critical situations where vision is essential.

• Full facepiece constructed of soft silicone—for excellent comfort, fit, and durability.

• Three sizes (small, medium and large) —ensures excellent fit and protection for most facial sizes and shapes.

• Three-position canister mounting—adaptable for various applications. Side mounting enables sighting of weapons from either side of the facepiece.

Conventional front-mounted position is also available.

• Anti-scratch coated polycarbonate lens is virtually free of distortion —provides excellent optics and visual acuity, making it applicable for tactical use where a full range of vision is important. Meets ANSI Z87.1-1989 (R-1998)2 standard for impact and penetration resistance.

• DIN-threaded 40 mm connectors —make attaching and removing canisters to the front or on either side of the facepiece quick and easy.

• Standard nose-cup —reduces lens fogging.

• Five-strap, silicone head harness —easily adjusts and secures facepiece into place.

• Low breathing resistance.

• NIOSH approved with the Model 1688 Canister — provides protection against α -choloracetophenone (CN), o-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS) and includes a P100 filter for use against particulates such as pepper spray. TC-14G-0264. Difficult situations call for products that are easy to use.

PART NUMBER DESCRIPTION

753000 Tactical Gas Mask, small

763000 Tactical Gas Mask, medium

773000 Tactical Gas Mask, large

168800 NBC Canister

702019 Tinted Lens Covers, 25/box

702028 Clear Lens Covers, 25/box

962260 Spectacles Kit, each

763076 Gas Mask Pouch, black, each

ORDERING INFORMATION

Canister sold separately. Other accessories are available, including carrying case for gas mask and canisters. Special Price: Mask and canister only $129.75

The SURVIVAIR Opti-Fit Tactical Gas Mask was tested against various chemical warfare agents including GB (Sarin) and HD (Mustard-liquid and vapors). Third party testing provides assurance that this respirator is effective against chemical warfare agents. Please see table that follows for additional information.

THIRD PARTY TEST RESULTS

CHALLENGE AGENT CHALLENGE CONCENTRATION SERVICE LIFE

Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN)* 4,000 mg/m 3 33 minutes

Chloroacetophenone (CN)* 16 ppm > 480 minutes

Tear Gas

Chlorobenzylidene Malononitrile (CS)* 3 ppm > 480 minutes

Tear Gas

Phosgene* 20,000 mg/m 3 22 minutes

Sarin (GB)** 2,000 mg/m 3 > 180 minutes

Vapor, Nerve Agent

Mustard (HD)** 300 mg/m 3 > 125 minutes

Liquid and Vapor, Blister Agent

* Canister testing performed by Miller Nelson Research, Inc.

** System testing (gas mask and canister) was performed by US Army Soldier Biological Chemical Command (SBCCOM).
 
Personally, if the sh** ever hits the fan like that, and I need a gas mask to survive in a post-apocalyptic world where people in uniforms are lobbing toxic fume canisters at me.... I think I'd just give up at that point. There's no way I'm carrying that in my BOB. Some cash, credit cards, food, tools, defensive stuff, clothes, and first aid until I get to somewhere safe? Yes, check. Gas mask? No
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I was thinking.

A gas mask is a waste of space, I would think, if you don't take part in riots, or hang out in prisons or deep in the city where a riot would be possible.

I've yet to have tear gas lobbed at me, or anyone near me.
 
So long as the canister is sealed it should be ok, unless the seals are dry rotted. Once they're open they start filtering and they are trash.

My work issued me a Draeger mask, but I usually use canned air, not cartridges. If you do buy one, you need to be fit tested to be 100% sure anyways, so if it's a deadly threat and not just Inconvenient then most civilians don't have that available to them.
 
Isn't there some sort of warning about using gas masks with expired filters (the surplus ones)? I can't remember where I read it (some forum a while ago) about the filters using chromium oxide in the filters and that there is an associated health risk with them.


Outside of that, I'm quite partial to my canadian mask (the ones used by Umbrella corp in the RE games/movies)
 
I would think that a blister / blood/ nerve ect. agent attack should be taken more seriously these days . I would think that the probability of an attack with a weapon such as one of these would be much higher than a nuclear one. Certainly in a major city. Just thinking out loud.
 
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