Looking into spare air or other emergency air supply

[Pandemic]

As Akimbo pointed out, 3m is plenty deep. Take a breath at 10m, hold it, surface and it will, literally, double in size. Additionally, remember that at that depth you are breathing down the air in the cylinder at, literally, twice the rate as on the surface. Add to that you will most likely have an elevated breathing rate (no matter how calm you think you are you will breath harder).

So you might want to sit with a tank of air at the surface and breath it down 1.7 cu.ft. or 3.0 cu.ft. If you find 3.0 cu.ft. lasts you 5 minutes then it will only last 2.5 minutes at 10m. However, in a stressful situation it would be more like 1.25 minutes. Better than nothing but 1.7 cu.ft. is probably only going to give you less than a minute and 3.0 cu.ft. is going to give you just over a minute. Add getting the equipment on, purging the regulator and getting out of the armored car and 1.7 cu.ft. really isn't a lot.

Good point. The 3cf would be far better then. I also like the idea of being able to toy around with it at the beach or in pools to test.

I highly recommend this for this application. The US Army issues them as standard equipment with their MRAP armored vehicles in Iraq and Afghanistan for exactly this reason.

Get the biggest one available, as it may take some time to escape and you will be breathing heavy. Do you have a seatbelt/restraint cutter as well? Highly recommend one of those too. A mask and light may be useful too, especially if there is a air pocket you can use to get your bearings before escaping.

If you or your co workers are not certified divers, see if you can explain the hazards of embolizing to your superiors (without shooting your idea in the foot). Then explain that Scuba training can mitigate this risk, and see if they'll pay for you to get certified! Hey, it's all about Safety

I don't have a seatbelt cutter yet but that's a good idea too. I normally carry a knife and a decent flashlight anyway. I can float the idea of SCUBA training but I doubt it'll fly haha.

Guys, Pandemic is in Canada — 1.7 Ft³ is all he needs before hypothermia gets him anyway.

lol, I wish. Gets toasty in these parts too

I bought spare air for myself, wife, son in January and have carried them on all dives ever since. We usually practice with it at the end of a trip in fact. Really like the system. It gives a good sense of confidence to have a completely redundant gas supply system.

I do recommend checking them on planes rather than carrying. The security in Manila airport in March didn't like the heavy metal if the cylinder and made me check them through on a connection. Haven't had any issues with that just do make sure the regs aren't attached. I keep the bag locked as well.

I keep the reg in a ziplock bag- has many washers

Isn't it best to just keep the unit in the holster, ready to go? Do these need yearly hydro-testing too?

 

[Herb-alaska]

if a spare is a good application here why not consider a 13 cu pony bottle and a regulator it would multiple your escape time and the cost and space concerns aren't that much greater than a spare air which will only give you at best 2 mins of escape time.

 

[T.C.]

Guys, Pandemic is in Canada — 1.7 Ft³ is all he needs
before hypothermia gets him anyway.

That's messed up. FUNNY, but messed up.

Good point. The 3cf would be far better then. I also like the idea of being able to toy around with it at the beach or in pools to test.

Yeah, you'll want to play with it. Take it down to the very deep end of the deepest pool around, and try it out. When you do; really suck on it; simulate how hard you'd be breathing after a roll into the drink off a bridge. You'll want to know how long it lasts.

Remember, you need to understand the physics of it; NEVER hold your breath. You can embolize from suprisingly shallow depths. And don't let anyone play with it in the pool; it can hurt them. I spent alot of time trying to teach how dangerous one can be to my unit what to do if they used one.

I don't have a seatbelt cutter yet but that's a good idea too. I normally carry a knife and a decent flashlight anyway.

Above all else, I'd recommend the seatbelt cutter. Knives don't cut seatbelts well, these go through them like a zipper. Get one for every crewman, and attach it within reach of that person; and within reach if they're upside-down.

I can float the idea of SCUBA training but I doubt it'll fly haha.

Never hurts to try!

 

[tkdgodess]

Not sure where you are but these guys are great... Paramedics, air ambulance, pilots... Pro Aviation Safety Training Home.

i've done the course as a passenger, the training is well worth it. Eye opening.

 

[Ghetto Diver]

Good to see you contingency planning.
Don't know what truck you are riding or driving, but that would put the jumper in a world of hurt especially in a short body.
I use to do armor a decade ago...never wore the seatbelt while in back.
Be safe


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[Diver0001]

So what can you suggest?

Drive carefully?

In all seriousness, the 2nd rule of scuba applies here too. "Prevention is better than cure". With a vehicle like that you don't want to end up in the water.... so do whatever is necessary to avoid it.

That said, spare air worked ok on Mythbusters (going to guess where you saw this) but you have a very limited amount of air available. If you don't have a quick egress plan from your vehicle, then a spare air is only going to delay the inevitable. In reality, if you're submerged in shallow water in your vehicle and need to wait to be rescued then you're going to need HOURS of air available, not minutes.

Failing that you need to be able to get out of it. I'm not familiar with armored cars at all but the thing I'd be most concerned about would be that.

R..

 

[T.C.]

I use to do armor a decade ago...never wore the seatbelt while in back.
Be safe

Hell, I'd never be without my restraints in a Armored truck. You hit something, or something hits you; it's not like a car that absorbs the impact, an armored vehicle transfers all that energy to the softest thing in the vehicle. YOU.

You become a pinball inside one, and if the truck goes into the drink, you'll probably roll. If that happens, you really want restraints.

 

[Ghetto Diver]

Well, I can tell you never done armored trans
While in back, you don't have time to sit and enjoy the ride.
It's all about prepping for the next stop and processing what you picked up.
If we had our 'druthers we'd buckle up.


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[T.C.]

Well, I can tell you never done armored trans
While in back, you don't have time to sit and enjoy the ride.
It's all about prepping for the next stop and processing what you picked up.
If we had our 'druthers we'd buckle up.

Nope; but I do know what happens when armored vehicles either: wreck, get smashed, get attacked, flip, and/or catch fire.

I always made my guys buckle in. It's saved their lives before; that's why I recommend it.

 

[Pandemic]

I may be green to the armored car world but they've drilled us with the fact that when the car is in motion you're belted in seats.