http://www.sitebox.ltd.uk/product/10081637/msa-scap-escape-respirator-in-cardboard-box/

A little pricey but might be worthwhile if working off shore or in a building higher than 5 or 6 floors (higher than a standard fire vehicle ladder).

Some glove protection (even if it was just a pair of merino wool liners)

http://www.thermalshop.co.uk/products/gloves_merino

would be useful for flash over protection.

Stay away from cheap polyester business suits.

EDC 2 me. In my backpack that is on my back or within a few feet of me during the day. I take my pack on all my errands and to all my meetings. Only time its not on or near me is if I am at home of working out. I carry a lot of stuff in that pack that I don't need, but consider the extra weight, an exercise benefit.

Hi

This is the best escape hood I know:
Draeger USA

Draeger is a huge German corporation specializing in breathing apparatus.

Thanks for all the replies so far. I agree that there has been some very useful info on this thread.

I took a look at the items in the two recent posts (by Am_Fear_Liath_More and Armageddon Aviator). They're both interesting pieces of gear - seems like either one would be ideal for dealing with smoke from fires, or the kind of dust pollution that happened in 9/11 on the streets of Manhattan. The British version of the personal hood appears to be (somewhat) fire resistant, whereas the Draeger item seems to offer breathing protection - but not heat protection. I could be wrong about that, though.

I'm taking a look at the various suggestions on this thread. I will definitely add some kind of breathing protection to my emergency gear.

cheers,
Pete2

Hi,

Both models ( Draeger & MSA ) are made of heat resistant material ( will protect against short flame contact ).

I haven't been able to find a "fire-proof" escape hood ( aluminum coated Nomex fabric or similar...)

The Parat C can be purchased here:

Aircraft Spruce and Specialty

My first thought about poor heat/flame resistance is that a wool buff worn over the head (as a hood) it would augment the heat resistance pretty nicely. Wool buffs are super small and really versatile.

If you need a fireproof hood (with or without a mask), you probably need more than just a hood.

So in the context of a escape hood, you really don't need a super fireproof hood. The heat resistant stuff escape masks are made of are good enough for the job.

Tjin

Let me just quickly mention why I was wondering about the fire resistance of the hood.

First, I completely agree with you that if the main goal is just to escape an area in town/city that has smoke, and maybe secondary heat from a fire, then the existing products would work just fine. Same thing probably goes for evacuating your own family from a burning house - so long as you get moving quickly then those hoods should do the job.

But ... we had an incident here in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago where a stopped car on the freeway was rear-ended at high speed. The impact ruptured the gas tank, and set the vehicle on fire. The mother who was driving the car managed (somehow) to open her drivers side door and pull herself to safety. However, she was unable to open the rear door of the car, and she could not free her 2-year old who was in a car seat (rear seat of vehicle). Bystanders were also unable to approach the car because of the flames, and by the time someone ran to get buckets of water it was too late. The 2-year old perished in the burning car.

Since hearing that story, I have been carrying my emergency crowbar in the back of my Jeep. So I was wondering in my mind if the safety hoods mentioned in this thread might have a chance of withstanding strong heating from a fire for about 30-45 secs ... just long enough to smash a back window of a burning car and extract a child. Seems like it would be a long shot - but it's worth contemplating.

Pete2

Generally, when one sees that some article is fire resistant; it is referring to flammability resistance, not thermal protection. Even Nomex, PBI and other synthetics that are used in protective fire gear, offer minimal thermal protection. These synthetics provide flash protection, in that they will not melt to the skin. Thermal protection comes in the form of these and other synthetics being layered with a degree of thickness.

Turnouts or structural fire fighting gear have two components; the outer jacket/pants are fire resistant and generally have a water proof barrier to provide flash protection and provide a barrier to liquid (water). Then there is then a thicker quilted or fuzzy layer to provide thermal protection.

For protection to the head, firefighters wear a hood made from Nomex, PBI or other fire resistant material, this combined with the ear flaps on the helmet provide a degree of heat protection. However, it is still possible to get burned directly from the heat or from steam generated from water vapor. Ears are especially prone to getting burned.

Despite the thermal protection, due to sweat buildup, wherever there are straps (from SCBA) there exists the potential for getting steam burns.

My best guess is any thermal protection provided by fire resistant hoods used on these escape systems is minimal at best.

Pete

Pete2... a good leather biker jacket (Mandarin collar), full face helmet, and gauntlet gloves might give a Samaratan a little more time...