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Paul, good work . One would think that it is not necessary to explain
something this obvious to one who runs a "training" agency.

Paul Chapman wrote:
> 
> Tom, for all the flak, kudos to you for being willing to discuss this
> (and the rest) in public...in response to your, apparently rhetorical,
> question "What is so complex" I'd like to respond:
> 
> >2. A stage cylinder based on its use will have A gas type
> identified(Nitrox or DECO gas or Oxygen or >Breathing gases othrer
> than air) around the cylinder  it is a VIP sticker on it and it has A
> MOD at the pper >portion of the cylinder it has a taped contents so
> the diver may read it at a glance
> 
> Great, so you have a choice of four different gas types that may be
> identified on a stage cylinder, nothing complex there then...?!?!?!?
> 
> >3. The hottest mix has a cover around the 2nd stage.
> 
> Why? If I pick up a revolver clearly labelled "bullet in chamber five"
> should I put it my head and just pull the trigger four times, or
> should I take one last look at the actual cylinder for old times sake?
> The reg cover, together with it's relatives (plugs, colours, lables,
> etc) is worse than irrelavent, it's positively dangerous, since it
> instills a false sense of security in the diver (this reg doesn't have
> a cover, it must be OK to breathe). It's madness to take one gas
> (MaxO2) out and have a different handling procedure for that gas than
> all the other gasses. Why not have the same handling procedure for all
> gasses?
> 
> The tank is the single point at which this can all be sorted out. It
> should be checked during filling, then verified by the diver before
> diving...that's at least two checks, including a personal check by the
> diver who'll be actually using the gas (that's me...it's my ultimate
> responsibility). If I get distracted and put the wrong reg (not that I
> could tell anyway) on the bottle, it doesn't matter, if I stuff the
> plug in the wrong reg (not that I'd use one), then it doesn't matter.
> When I come to swap gasses I check they're all turned off, pick the
> bottle I need (by the MOD marked on it), un-stow the reg and turn the
> bottle on...picked the wrong reg? oops, can't breathe...turned on the
> wrong bottle?...oops, can't breathe. How simple is that? It's the same
> for all the tanks, I don't need a separate procedure for high O2, or
> to remember to plug the correct reg, or to wear it on the correct side
> of the body, or any other stuff. My last resort against total
> fuckwittedness on my part is that the MOD is written in massive
> letters on the bottle for my buddy to see.
> 
> Again...How simple is that?
> 
> Regards
> 
> Paul Chapman
> 
>

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