Scott vs Drager SCBA's
Tim
to Drager or Scott's. I have seen both and I like the Scott compared to the
Drager. I like the weight of the pack and the visibility out of the mask
compared to the Drager. The Drager seems to weigh as much as our MSA's, which
still have the low pressure tube, not a MMR. I would like to know pro's and
con's to both airpacks and if you had any bad experiences with either one.
Thank you!!
Tim Sullivan
Reading, Pa. L-1803
DollarBill
news:20030129151613...@mb-mp.aol.com...
> Our dept is currently looking to replacing our airpacks, MSA, and either
going
> to Drager or Scott's. I have seen both and I like the Scott compared to
the
> Drager. I like the weight of the pack and the visibility out of the mask
> compared to the Drager. The Drager seems to weigh as much as our MSA's,
which
> still have the low pressure tube, not a MMR. I would like to know pro's
and
> con's to both airpacks and if you had any bad experiences with either one.
>
> Thank you!!
Can't really help you on the airpacks besides saying that there are
advantages and disadvantages of both I'm sure. As with most equipment
purchases, you must examine the scenario possibilities in your district and
match the needs vs. the gear.
Our department received a FIRE grant and we're purchasing new SCBAs. The
problem is the newer units will not be compatible with the older units so
it's going to require a little more of a heads up on fire scenes.
I looked at your website. Didn't get far because it's VERY annoying that
you have internal links open new browser windows. Change that ASAP.
Stay Safe,
Bill
DMAS...@knology.net
the last two years. When we did our evaluation of SCBA's we looked many
brands including the Scott SCBA. I would like to say that all the units we
looked at were good units.
For our Department, the Drager seemed to distribute the weight to the hips
better than the other units tested. A plus for the Drager is the one size
fits all Panorama Nova mask. In our Department this was not an issue as we
issue each member their own personal facepiece, but it sure does keep you
from having to stocking multiple sizes.
We serve an area in Florida with a bayfront that covers 27 square miles so
can image the amount of docks and seawalls around. We spoke to all the
manufactures involve in our testing program and asked them if they had data
on how well and characteristics of the unit if submerged in water. All but
one manufacturer (not a very large shareholder in the market) said if we
would use there unit in fresh water to have a great time playing in the
water. The Drager worked fine and breathed well to a depth of 28 feet (that
was the bottom of the lake) the other units went into free flow mode shortly
after entering the water .
One down side I found with the Scott unit was in the face-mount regulator.
In the Scott unit the exhalation valve is in the regulator. If you are
worried about infection control this is a big issue. Think about one of your
Department member coming out of a structure for rehab. just as he/she gets
there they barf in their mask. That's right, if you were expected to pick
that unit up and enter into the structure you get what they had for lunch.
You can literally put your tongue onto the regulator through the mask
opening.
As far as the Drager's we have 32 SCBA's in service now and are awaiting
delivery of 4 additional units. We currently have 96 facepieces in service.
Out of the 85 people we fit tested with our OHD Fit Tester 3000 the only
people we have fail were a few who used nomex spiders. To remedy the problem
we refitted the facepiece with a rubber spider retested and they passed.
When it comes right down to it most of the decision is what works best for
department. Remember all units used in the Fire Service should be tested and
certified to NFPA standards.
Hope this helps.
"Tim" <jumpe...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030129151613...@mb-mp.aol.com...
Michael Scheib
County and really like its durability and reliability. Most of Schuylkill
use Scott. I really have no experience with Drager. Check with Pottsville
City. I believe the entire city use Drager. Maybe Chief Todd March could
give you same insight. Hope this helps some.
Mike Scheib, Asst. Chief
Donaldson Fire Co. #1
Station 12, Schuylkill County
"Tim" <jumpe...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030129151613...@mb-mp.aol.com...
Glenn Wisbey
We too did a study on all the major manufacturers before switching from MSA.
We ended up going to Draager for reasons too numerous to list. The only
problems to date that I've found with the Draager SCBA is the actual washers
themselves on the high pressure lines. We were doing a training evolution
and put a person on a RIT bottle (yes, they have RIT bags as well). A small
bump into a door frame caused the washer to crack and air to leak. The good
thing was a) we were able to get them out quickly; and b) when the RIT
bottle got down to almost nil I could change the firefighter over to my
bottle.
We changed all our equipment (3 stations, 3+ pieces each, 3-4 bottles each
piece) over in one day. The MSA harnesses needed a slight adjustment to
accept the new bottles. The e-one emergency seats needed them (the mounting
assy) lifted one spot. Quite easy. Before we switched, we did four
multi-company training evolutions. Before we did that we did a month of
in-service training on the harness, PM checks, the masks, the regulators,
and how to do connects/disconnects with FF gloves on.
FF Glenn Wisbey
Annapolis Fire Department
L-1926
D McKinley
news:20030129151613...@mb-mp.aol.com:
I wore only MSA's for the first six years after I was hired. We switched to
Drager in 1996. That is all we use now on the job. I have a little trouble
with the silicone mask floating around my face when it's sweaty and I don't
find the packs to be particularly wel balanced.
I wear Scotts in the Combat Challenge and find them very comfortable. The
problem is that I only wear them for under two minutes and don't get to
truely 'try them out' (extended use, use in freezing weather, etc).
I would suggest that your department talk to the suppliers and try a few
out.
Good Luck
Dave