Gas Masks

When it comes to gear I always play tug of war with myself. Do you spend big money on good gear for it to just sit on a shelf and may never get used, but in an emergency you will be glad you did. Or do you spend cheaply on low end gear because its just going to sit on the shelf and if something happens at least something is better then nothing?

I live in an urban area 15 minutes from Boston MA and airborne or gas attacks do weigh on my mind. Here is my newest dilemma. I found these Gas Masks for $12.90 each plus shipping. So for a family of 5 it is not going to break the bank vs masks that cost $60-$200 each. Has anyone ever researched masks? I attached a link below. Can you give me an educated pros and cons.

http://dgwhl.com/Gas-Mask-Soviet-Russian-Model-GP-5.aspx

 

This is something I consider quite often and fully agree about spending money to get a good unit with the chance of it sitting on a shelf for years......that same philosophy could also apply to many prepper ideas/purchases. Gas masks would be most useful in situations involving groups/riots, and tear gas deployed to break it up. Being in a riot or large group is something most people on this forum avoid if at all possible. If gas/spray is being used against you, then you're in the wrong place to start with; most of us prefer to operate under the "Grey Man" guidelines, so being in a group that is being gassed........shouldn't happen. If you have to bug out, the chances of getting gassed while in the woods or alone, would be very low. For my situation, a good gas mask would be nice, but there are other places where I could use that money. However........if I won the lotto............definitely a high quality gas mask for myself and everyone in the family.

 

Here is a link that has some good info. It addresses one of my main concerns. The filters in gas masks do not last forever. They have to be replaced. How do you know when the filter is saturated, and needs to be replaced? Where do you get replacement filters? When it is saturated it isn't filtering anything.

It also addresses fit, which I know is critical. I worked in an industry where we occasionally had to wear respiration filters. Facial hair was a no-no. Making sure the unit fit snugly everywhere around your mouth and nose was critical. If it leaks it isn't working properly.

Take a look at the article, and see what works best for you.

https://www.livescience.com/39217-how-do-gas-masks-work.html

 

good link, thanks.

fit is critical and the better units will use 6 secure points.

There is a justification for the full face mask outside of potential gas/chemical attacks; remodeling older homes. I use a half face mask with cartridges but still end up with my face coated with dust and old nasty stuff. This would be a good justification and that would also support use in potential SHTF situations.

 

When dealing with riots government’s typically give verbal warnings before deploying gas, and intentionally leave the crowd at least one exit if not several. The only reason to be exposed to something like CS gas is if you choose to be there.

As far as criminal attacks by terrorists, those are typically going to happen in populated areas where if you happen to be there, you aren’t likely to have your mask on you.

 

Good afternoon Big Zirp.

Ref para 1; Sometimes, if not frequently, nothing is better. The saved cash can be used more productively elsewhere. You're asking an important question involving - making decisions under conditions of uncertainty - .

I research masks and it's an indirect reason I signed up at this site. The morbidity and mortality charts show that the poisons generated within smoke are the main dangers. Ref your link, as far as major warfare, nothing is available that is inexpensive.

Do you need mask on when driving a vehicle ?
Will you be wearing a hard hat / helmet ?
Can rest of family members wear mask in comfort ?

Take a glance at:

https://www.ilcdover.com/catalog/escape-respirators
(ILC is prime NASA contractor for astronaut space suits; my catalog recommendation above is for familiarization only.)

and

https://emergency.cdc.gov/bioterrorism/prep.asp
(CDC is good for basic info but not beyond the basics.)

 

Not necessarily correct, in Europe and the U.K. The police use a tactic called kettling in which the lock down all the routes in and out of an area where there is civil unrest, they do not provide a convenient escape route.
Everyone is caught in the net, your best hope is to get off the streets as quickly and unobtrusively as possible. I did not purchase gas masks in order to take part in civil disorder though. My masks are kept in case of CBRNe I have recently upgraded to GSR from S10's. The GSR has wide field of view and twin filters with an 8hr life while the S10 filter only lasts 4 hrs. (S10 filters can be modified to fit GSR but still only last 4hrs)
GSR are some of the best on the market but they're not a patch on closed circuit breathing systems which is what some of you seem to be talking about. Closet circuit apparatus is heavy and expensive.

 

Something I've waffled on myself but have yet to invest in. With 7 people 5 of which are small teens to toddlers it's a worry. Beyond "gas" where I see they could be handy is in say a pandemic if you have to be out and about it would help to protect.

It's been quite a few years since NBC training but as Morgan said having a clean shaven face is pretty key for a good seal. Why do you think the military has restriction on facial hair and limits the width of your mustache. Admittedly I think those requirements have eased some for those in the sandbox to help them fit in more. a different war situation where they're worrying about NBC and they'll be clean shaved. Other thing is vision. if you wear contacts you can't (or shouldn't) in a mask. If you get gas in your eyes it can be trapped by the lens. that's why we were issued gas mask inserts which were basically the front of your typical mil issue BC glasses but with a rubber headband rather than stems and on the side of your face where your mask seals the strap is very thin. But I think depending on the mask you use some have lenses mounted inside them. In the Navy we were issued the MCU2Papa pictured below. These are nice in that you have a great field of view vs the army issue with 2 eye pieces. I believe these were made by MSA and Draegger.



As mentioned filter life can vary widely if it's wet, dusty etc it can shorten the life or clog them up. if your in actual gas they'll start to plug up after a while and will get harder to breath so you also need to learn how to change filters and clear your mask.

Beyond the mask you have to think about the rest of your MoPP gear to protect your skin and clothing from getting contaminated... even a decent poncho and some heavy rubber gloves will help. Remember some gases are deadly if you get droplets on your skin, not just if you inhale it.

 

So without reading a whole bunch of stuff, how long does an NBC filter last?

 

Depends on the model, both of my sets of masks are CBRNe capable, the older S10 40mm filters are widely available and each lasts up to 4hrs use. These will fit the General Service Respirator with a tiny modification. The GSR is easier to breath in when you exert yourself, more comfortable, wider field of view and can operate with only one filter either side or two. The downside of the GSR is the little snap catches on the filter are a pain when wearing gloves.

 

Former USN as well, my NBC training was limited to what we got in recruit training which wasn't much. Fitting kids is tough, sure you're already aware but the Israelis have civilian models for toddlers/youngsters that might be worth looking into.

I picked up two of the IDF civilian adult masks (w/Type 80 40mm NATO filters), stored with a couple Tyvek suits, gloves, and duck tape just in case we had to travel through a known contaminated area. Unlikely in the extreme, but still. More likely here would be a forest fire where the masks would protect eyes and lungs from the heavy smoke while evacuating. Also can't discount the possibility of an adversary having acquired police/military riot control agents like CS, which would be a very effective method to force a family or group out of their BOL without a fight. "3 minutes without air" after all.

 

Not expecting direct attacks on this part of Wales but there may well be drifting fallout or other forms of contamination. I keep the S10s and CBRNe suits in my get home bag....
After all the North Koreans and Russians show no compunction about using chemical or biological weapons in foreign countries.

 

from what i know a gas mask won't filter smoke and from reading the above you should get a fire fighter mask instead because fires are unavoidable part of combat and people might use it to get you out of hiding

 

Good afternoon Woodsman,

First a welcome to the Forum.

Had missed your initial post.

You'll notice that here and probably most other forums, all are not using the same definitions to words.

"Gas Mask" is an umbrella term. So is the term fire fighter mask...frequently being O2 as part of the set-up.

The link I posted above ages ago ref ILC Dover, Delaware has a premier smoke evacuation mask. It's for "basic" smoke and the poison gases within the smoke - frequently this S-Cappe 30 model is used for office fires, bombings. Working on an aircraft evacuation could involve other poisons depending if a passenger aircraft or a cargo aircraft. On an offshore oil rig, I didn't rely too much on the masks and SCBA. Punching into pools of methane and hydrogen means the plankton get some additional nourishment.

Have you identified your main peril ? What type of topo are you discussing ?

Might as well mention even if redundant; All this stuff is expensive.

 

I did mention closed circuit (fire fighters) masks in my post, they require a compressed air tank making them heavy and expensive to maintain. they're great for working in a low oxygen/high CO2 environment such as a fire but are of limited use, carry a finite amount of air and not really applicable to my situation.

 

thanks didn't see it the first time

 

Cool GateCrasher - As my avatar might suggest, I was a Seabee. LOL So in the batallions we had to qual about once a year before deployment while in homeport. We'd have to reup in the gas chamber, re-qual on weapons (including a fam fire with mask on) and do a 2-3 week FEX where seemed like we spent a lot of time living in MOPP gear or getting gassed by our observers. A favorite of theirs was to roll a gas canister into the GP tents while we were sleeping. We learned to sleep with our masks on our chests in our sleeping bags ready to shove it on our face at first sign..