Breathing Apparatus (BA)

Preamble

The equipment is a self-contained compressed air breathing apparatus (BA). It is open-circuit type in that the exhaled air is released to the ambient atmosphere without being circulated in the breathing system.

Functions

It provides air for firemen to breathe and work in oxygen-deficient atmosphere or toxic environment;
It has been certified to protect firemen from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear hazards;
It is equipped with advanced electronic technology to detect and monitor the working situation of the firemen donning with the BA. This enhances the wearer and the monitoring personnel to have a more accurate apprehension of the operational situation.

Specifications

The specifications of the BA conform to the standards as set out in the latest European Standard EN137. According to the standard, the reliability, expendability and monitoring ability of the BA have been further improved in that the general design, material, functionality and methods of test have been enhanced compared with the previous LW300 BA. The overall weight of the MSA BA is 13.5 kg. The BA includes the following components :

A carbon-fibre composite compressed air cylinder. When fully charged, it contains 2160 litres of air;
A pneumatic system comprising a pressure regulator, medium pressure hose, a pressure gauge and a demand valve;
A set of electronic monitoring system including a personal monitoring equipment (alphaSCOUT), a data processing unit (alphaMITTER) and a head-up display;
A face mask (when being donned with the BA, the pressure inside the face mask is slightly greater than that of the ambient atmosphere so as to prevent the wearer from inhaling toxic air from outside in order to protect the wearer) and a voice amplifier;
A backplate and harness assembly comprising a waist belt, shoulder straps and cylinder harness.