Fills in rural areas: Fire service? Hospitals?

Tassie_Rohan · Feb 16, 2009

Folks-

Can anyone here think of any services in rural western towns that could, with a suitable adaptor, fill scuba tanks? I'm thinking the fire service and hospitals, as both need clean compressed air.

I'm working in outback Australia and have found a site I want to dive. Like rural Canada and US there's several small country towns in the region. I assume the fire service, and maybe the hospital, could have compressors, but have no idea if they are able to provide a half-decent fill.

Does anyone know what sort of pressures and valves the fire services use on their carbon-fibre tanks (I guess we can ignore the US for this question, as they always have to be different...)?

And - have I overlooked any other services that may be able to provide a fill, with a suitable adaptor and enough charm, begging and/or beer?

I am already starting to eye up the tire inflators at the regional service station....

And yes - in the past I have [-]scammed[/-] charmed oxygen from a local hospital, but am not sure about air.

Cheers,
Rohan.

Grover48 · Feb 16, 2009

The fire department I work for uses carbon fiber tanks. They are filled to 4,500 PSI.

rongoodman · Feb 16, 2009

I would be very cautious about doing that. Levels of impurities which wouldn't harm a firefighter at 1 ATM could cause at lot of problems at 5 ATM(130 feet).

Deep-Thief · Feb 16, 2009

You will probably need to check with each fire department to see who has what. You need to be checking as to what filters are on their compressor. Most compressors should be ok for your needs. They should go to at least 3000, for those depts. that only have 2216psi tanks, and then you have some that go to 4500psi. Adapter, get SCBA to SCUBA.

High pressure breathing air compressors, scuba air compressors, Scuba air
Oxygen Stuff - Filling Adapters - SCBA to Din - Northeast Scuba Supply

There are two, one is to yoke and the second is to a din tank, they are $70 and $50 respectivly. Just make sure the fire dept. is using standard SCBA connections and there you go. I would check to see if they have gotten their air analyzed or not. You would want to be real careful if you are using any of this for oxygen service. Cheers.

Rick Inman · Feb 16, 2009

rongoodman:
I would be very cautious about doing that. Levels of impurities which wouldn't harm a firefighter at 1 ATM could cause at lot of problems at 5 ATM(130 feet).

Could you explain this for me? How would a partcal in the fill effect you different at depth?

Thanks.

Doc Harry · Feb 16, 2009

There are several fire departments in my area that have compressors and will fill scuba tanks for $5 each. They have air quality records on file for your inspection. Unfortunately, they use large commercial fill stations that will fill only single tanks in a drawer system. Its' all air fills, no Nitrox.

That's why I bought my own compressor

Deep-Thief · Feb 16, 2009

Doc Harry:
Unfortunately, they use large commercial fill stations that will fill only single tanks in a drawer system. Its' all air fills, no Nitrox.

I was kinda in the same boat. I was a volunteer at a local FD and they had a blast proof container system also. You just have to know how to bypass it

and leave your doubles on the outside of it. There is a cut off switch hooked to the door and I had to stay there holding the switch the whole time I filled my tanks. Kinda a pain, one hand holding the switch and the other trying to work the bank bottles.

And yes a compressor is on my "list," unfortunately that "list" is a LOOOOONNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG list.

knotical · Feb 16, 2009

Rick Inman:
Could you explain this for me? How would a partcal in the fill effect you different at depth?

Recall from Nitrox training that oxygen becomes more toxic at depth because of its greater partial pressure. Similarly, impurities such as carbon monoxide are more toxic at greater partial pressures.

NudeDiver · Feb 17, 2009

Tassie_Rohan:
Can anyone here think of any services in rural western towns that could, with a suitable adaptor, fill scuba tanks? I'm thinking the fire service and hospitals, as both need clean compressed air.

If they have fire service and hospitals, how rural can they be?

In the US, I think you might run into resistance due to liability concerns. Australia - different story. But, if you know where you are going - do some research, find out who is around, and call around and ask your potential charm targets before going out there. You know, do a little recon. You also might try contacting the local equivalents, and see if there is a standard that your charm targets are probably following (or at least some that they are supposed to be following).

Good luck!
ND

trentwa · Feb 19, 2009

Are you talking Western Qld or Tassie??

I don't see why a hospital would have compressed breathing air?

But a fire brigade definitely would have.

But depending on where your going a good bet would be a mine site.
All mine sites are required to have a Mine rescue team that is trained in Breathing Apparatus.
The SCBA which most sites use have a 6.8L carbon wrapped cylinder which is filled to 300 bar, and they use a DIN valve the same as dive cylinders. So if you have a DIN valve your sorted, if not a simple Yoke adaptor will do. These are the same BA's used by most fire brigades, so that could be a go too.
If your ever diving out in the Tanami Desert on the WA/NT boarder i would be happy to fill your cylinders, hahaha

Fills in rural areas: Fire service? Hospitals?

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