Why Don't Manufacturers

[OE2X]

I was wondering one day why manufacturers don't put some kind of signal into regulators to let us know that our air is getting low. Or to make a comuter that gives us a signal. I am a fire fighter and I when I am fire fighting and wearing my mask and regulator, it has a low air alarm that goes off when my bottle is down to 500psi. Why don't SCUBA equipment manufacturers borrow some ideas from the fire department and help keep us a little safer?
Dive Safe!
Alanna

Generally speaking from what little I know about fire fighters is that you are generally in very stressful fluid situations. Having this sort of feature is necessary for that enviroment. Most diving is not that stressful where we have to be so completely involved in the situation that we forget to check our pressure on a regular basis.

Checking your spg, console, AI wrist computer etc... regularly and methodically should be second nature and a built in cognitive awareness whenever you go diving.

 

[Lead_carrier]

They did... 25-30 years ago. You want to bring back the "honkers?"
My brother-in-law still has one - it's for sale if you want it.
Rick

How much does he want for it? I'm starting to collect some of the older regs for nostislia,nostalga, knostal,, fun.

 

[derwoodwithasherwood]

Sometimes things go wrong, through nobody's fault. Gauges can stick. Things can get busy. That is why firefighters have such warning devices -- because while trained to check the pressure regularly, sometimes things happen.

Firefighters are just as concerned or more so than scuba divers regarding weight and entanglement. Firefighting search and rescue is the above-water equivalent of penetration diving. Few SCBA have air sharing capability, in part because of those issues. Virtually all have an audible warning device of some sort, because they are compact, lightweight and potentially lifesaving. And if someone can design a suitable mechanical alarm that will function within the extremes of firefighting (works when wet, dry, frozen and steaming) then I would think it possible to do so with Scuba too.

For that matter, how about a P.A.S.S. alarm equivalent? Many threads in the Accidents forum mention a diver suddenly disapearing from sight, lost in the gloom and silt. "I thought he was right behind me". How many victims would have stood a better chance if an alarm automatically alerted when they stopped moving or breathing? Are such devices any less desireable or difficult to carry than any of the assortment of safety sausages, signal mirrors, whistles, knives, lights, pony bottles or other safety devices many are fond of?

 

[String]

Any sort of device to tell you when its turnaround time with air is going to be more compicated than making a sound at fixed pressure.

If its non deco, non stop, non overhead shallow dives then fine an alarm may help the chronically stupid but the 50 bar/500psi or whatever point is not the turn point in most dives. If you're diving wrecks or caves and follow the rule of 3rds then its not going to be much help. If you have a deco obligation you'll have needed to turn and started heading up before you get that and so on.
There is no one-size-fits-all pressure for alerting you to surface in a dive. So many factors involved in air planning from depth to deco, to overhead to other needed reserves its not practical.

Proper air planning and looking at the SPG is a better solution.

 

[DiverEMT]

WOW! I was amazed at the amount of response I got in 24 hours. There's a lot of good information there.

I must be looking at the wrong equipment because I've never seen anything with alarms. I'm not saying, either that a mechanical device is and excuse for not looking at your guage. In fire fighting, we check our guages periodically also. We don't rely solely on when our low air alarm goes off.

My oringinal post was more of a ponderdance. I see it really sparked quite a discussion though. Very interesting....

Thanks for the input from everyone!

Alanna