Smoke Hoods

[SLF3]

I would like to buy a smoke hood for use as a passenger on commercial flights. These devices do not seem to be common, but potential vendors are:

Draeger (Parat C)
MSA Safety Hood
Purify Air 30M

None include oxygen generators (which I assume would not be allowed, though I have used them for work offshore), all provide a full face hood and filter carbon monoxide. Can anyone advise:

- Whether these products are allowed in hand baggage on commercial aircraft?
- Where this is written down?
- Any comparison reports on the effectiveness of these products?
- Any comments on the practicality of such devices?

[airyana]

So what exactly do you plan on doing :=

[SLF3]

Have experienced a smoke filled plane and emergency evacuation: it ended well, but since I am now asthmatic would enjoy it a lot less now. Also, it comes in a nice plastic box that would make a great coaster for the G&T.

[aerobat77]

i do not think its stricly forbidden but you may have to answer questions on every flight with this device...

i also think its useless, when you really end up with serious smoke in the cabin and an emergency evacuation you will hardly have the time and space to search your hand baggage and deploy your personal smoke hood.

its like wearing a diversuit at flights over the atlantic...

[Lord Spandex Masher]

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/1219/srg_dgo_WhatCanICarry20100416.pdf

Apparently you are. Right at the bottom.

[SLF3]

LSM, can you tell me where this list comes from?

Aerobat 77, it wouldn't be in my hand baggage - it would be in the seat back pocket. I don't see these devices as useful only for an evacuation. The incident I was involved in had smoke in the cabin for 15 minutes before the emergency evacuation - and several people experienced breathing difficulties. Plenty of time to put it on.

I'd still like to hear from anyone who has experience with these devices or who can point me to an evaluation of them.

[Lord Spandex Masher]

Looks like a CAA document to me, no idea really Google found it.

Try the CAA website for more info if you need it.

CAA (http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=1767&pagetype=90&pageid=9849)

[Daysleeper]

You will find extensive stuff about smoke hoods in the AAIB report into the 1985 Manchester 737-200 fire.

AAIB (http://www.aaib.gov.uk/publications/formal_reports/8_1988_g_bgjl.cfm)

[parabellum]

Can't remember where I read it now but the gist of the article was; when a cabin fills with life threatening smoke you have less than ninety seconds to get out or don a breathing apparatus before becoming unconscious. The bog standard smoke hood, no oxygen generator, will give you about three minutes of safe breathing, enough time to run up and down an aircraft several times, if you can see.

[PBL]

Parabellum gives the definitive answer on why to carry a (non-aspirated) smoke hood on commercial flights.

Some colleagues who have been involved in accident investigation carry one routinely when they fly. It buys you a couple of minutes of breathing time, and protects your eyes from possibly caustic smoke so that you can keep them open.

One colleague familiar with accident statistics posed the question: why life jackets are required equipment, but not smoke hoods?

PBL

[FE Hoppy]

Good luck evacuating a jet full of smoke hooded passengers.

[ampclamp]

A bit easier than a plane load of folks who are unconscious.:}

[jungle drums]

Try researching:

Air Care Smoke Escape Hood.
About the size of a A5 Diary, head bag and particle filter.
Supplied by FACTS in the USA.
Easy to carry, not DG.

Just bought a few meself.

The KAPTAIR Exitair Smoke hood used to be a great piece of kit - but is no longer produced.
This is a safety issue and not a plug, so hope it is not deleted - no personal interest other than seeing crew and pax provided with extra means of survival.

ACCESS Operations Manager
AirCare Solutions Group
324 West Bay Drive NW, Ste 200
Olympia, WA 98502
Phone: 360/754-9805
Fax: 360/754-1911

[Checkboard]

I think they'll be pretty motivated, Hoppy :rolleyes:

In any case we are talking about an individual carry-on here, not a general aircraft fit.

Have a look at the Safe Escape ASE-30 / ASE30A - Smoke & Fire Safety Evacuation Hood:

http://www.safehomeproducts.com/shp2/sc/imageresize.aspx?Image=/shp2/data/pictures/aussie_hood.jpg&Width=94&Height=99&Compression=65

Their site says they guarantee "up to" 60 minutes of breathable air. I waould assume that means 60 minutes sitting in a clean room - an area filled with heavy particulates (as in a serious cabin aircraft fire) would clog the filter fairly quickly though. I remember an interview from the Manchester disaster (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airtours_Flight_28M) in which one of the last passengers out described having to use his fingernail to physically scrape the black soot off his eyeball, in order to see the exit. :uhoh:

Hard or soft case:

http://www.safehomeproducts.com/shp2/sc/imageresize.aspx?Image=/shp2/data/pictures/as30a.jpg&Width=336&Height=355&Compression=75&text=Y

The list looks like it's from the IATA dangerous goods handling manual.

[PBL]

Good luck evacuating a jet full of smoke hooded passengers.

By no means decisive. The FAA tried it: DOT/FAA/AM-89/12 The Effects of Wearing Passenger Breathing Equipment On Evacuation Times.... (http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA216798&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf)
Wearing the equipment was not the most decisive factor. It was the third.

Besides, if people decide it is a good idea and mandate it, designs will change to ameliorate the disadvantages.

PBL