tank fills at firehouses?

[Jeepman3sk]

I keep seeing posts that people get their tanks filled at firehouses. Is this normal or am I crazy?

 

[DennisS]

The owner of my local dive shop is a fireman. I don't think he'd appreciate me dropping by the firehouse asking for a fill.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I don't know anyone who gets fills at a firehouse.

 

[Hallmac]

I keep seeing posts that people get their tanks filled at firehouses. Is this normal or am I crazy?

The air that todays fire department use for scba's is highly filtered and meets Grade E and often exceeds it. Since water rescue is part of many department's training it is not uncommon for them to have the adapters to fill typical scuba cylinders. It is also not uncommon for a few divers to be employed or associated with the department.

Have a big compressor with good air, somehow, somewhere a diver will find it and try to get some.

 

[SwimJim]

Dive rescue guys fill their tanks at the fire house, but it's not something for the general public.

 

[rhwestfall]

Not as a standard practice - but...... Yep, back some time ago, we were heading to a "remote" destination to do our class OW dives. The compressor that we brought along wouldn't work off the service at the cottage we went to. Made a trip to town, and the volunteer fire department said that they would fill for us, as long as no names were ever mentioned (including any letter of thanks), and if we promised to support whatever local fire company that was in our towns. To this day (22 years later), I have no problem making donations to fire companies fund raisers when I come across them in my travels. They do truly help in many ways in a time of need....

 

[Mark Michaud SELAUSAR]

Our fire district maintains the same air quality as our local dive shop. It is tested quarterly and posted as well. Having said that it is not for the general diving public, but it is safe to dive with at depth. I checked their records when I trained them on the Rapid Diver system. My guys (PD dive team) and the S.O. from time to time also uses the FD for air. Depending on the quality and testing each department uses, that has to be the standard in deciding if their breathing air is safe. Mark

 

[beautybelow]

I got certified because the local fire department stopped filling tanks for the commercial fishermen in our community. I always had a tank and a hookah rig on board.

I had the great idea then that I could go to a local dive shop and trade them stone crabs for for air fills. The owner said no, sorry, but if you want I will take stone crabs for an open water course and you can get your tanks filled anywhere.

He turned out to be smarter than me. He got a lot of stone crabs and sold a lot of gear to me over the years.

 

[Barracuda2]

I remember at one of the GLWC's meet & Greet at Gilboa, Mike's compressor was acting up and we had to take tanks to a local fire station to get fills.

 

[diver_paula]

A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do to dive. I now have connections at 2 local fire companies as the closest dive shop is about 1.5 hours away. I've been doing my best to fill my tanks after every charter or quarry dive but that's not always feasible.

Paula