Breathing Apparatusparts

The set provided approximately half an hour of air, however, when the wearer was working hard, the amount of time would be much lower.

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Technology was improving, and in 1914, Siebe Gorman and Co introduced a totally new concept in breathing apparatus (BA). Designed for use in mines it was called Proto.

Two types are in use: normal duration, which are carried on all frontline fire engines, and extended duration, which are carried on Fire Rescue Units.

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Firefighters, over the years, have had to be prepared to deliver their fire and rescue services in all kinds of weather conditions – the Butler's Wharf fire of 1931 saw us fight flames and frozen temperatures.

In the late 1800s, there had been many attempts to find a solution to the problem but it wasn't until the turn of the century when the first practical attempts were developed.

By the 1970s, CA sets were issued across the whole of the Brigade, eventually reaching the point where every crew member of a front line appliance had a set available to them.

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The kit featured a full face mask, an air cylinder carried vertically on the back and the facility to allow the wearer to talk to other crew members

Siebe Gorman and Co introduced smoke helmets, based on the principle of a deep-sea diver's breathing system. Air entered a helmet through breathing tubes, which were connected to a set of bellows at each side, operated by a second person. A neck curtain attached to the helmet was tucked into the firefighters tunic, providing a reasonably air-tight seal.

Over the years the Proto was modified on many occasions, with the final version, the MK V being introduced in the late 1950s, by which time all pumps were equipped with three Proto sets.

It was a self-contained system, which consisted of a cylinder of oxygen and an air reservoir or breathing bag containing an absorbent, which removed the carbon dioxide; it was then mixed with a fresh supply of oxygen and reused.