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You need much longer hoses (entanglement risk) to accomodate with a messed up hose routing for the 7' hose. You'd have to use non-standard length hoses. Getting into your harness is hard since your rig can't be set on the ground easily without damaging the valves. I remember seeing many more reasons for this. You might want to check the archives for more. steve ----- Original Message ----- From: Keith M. McDonald <maglight@ti*.ne*> To: <techdiver@aquanaut.com> Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2000 1:30 AM Subject: Re: thoughts on emergency services and 'personal preference' > Hi guys, > > As a newly-certified Open Water I diver with aspirations, I've made it a > point to look beyond the above-water technical training and pay attention > to the suggestions made by those in the cave and wreck diving community who > are relying on their equipment for their livings and their lives. Heck, > you guys have probably spent more time ASLEEP in the water during deco > stops than I've spent in diving for the C-card, so your insight is > invaluable. Where "little" things like suicide clips and left post roll > off might receive nary a mention in the Open Water classroom, I'd just as > soon know about it before hitting the water and finding myself with a > dangerously configured BC. > > Joe Boone's recent comments on the firefighting SCBAs and Wendell Grogan's > thoughts on careful placement of gear bring a question to mind that I have > yet to receive a answer for that goes beyond conjecture. > > The firefighting and confined space SCBAs, though usually single bottles, > are always mounted in the AirPak frames with the tank valves down. The > valve knob is at waist level on the right where it is easily found and > turned with the right hand. In this position, there is little question > whether the valve is being turned in the correct direction if intending to > open or to close the valve. Where the tank valve is low, the high-pressure > hose is run straight up the side of the pack and over the shoulder, > decreasing the danger of entanglement due to looped hose. Additionally, > the top of the tank is free from valves, knobs, regulators and hoses in the > direction of travel. As such, the majority or entanglements seem to occur > between the tank and the AirPak frame and are immediately relievable by > reaching back over your shoulder and pulling the entangled object away from > the tank. > > >From an above-water firefighting perspective, this configuration seems > ideal in both accessibility to valves and for decreasing entanglement risk. > Is there a mechanical or physiological reason to explain why SCUBA > configuration places the valves at shoulder level? > > Regards, > > Keith M. McDonald > Pilgrim Station Special Operations > Middleboro Special Police Officer > http://www.tiac.net/users/maglight > > There but for the grace of God go I. ~ ~ > Nuclear SWAT, Municipal Police Officer, EMT-B, Firefighter @ @ > -----------------------------------------------------------oOOO-(_)-OOOo- > POLICE LINE - DO NOT CROSS - POLICE LINE - DO NOT CROSS - POLICE LINE - > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > At 07:56 AM 4/4/00 -0400, you wrote: > >I think you've hit on a key element for safe diving. Somehow, we've got > >to get people thinking and doing it right from the very beginning. > >There's no reason why PADI can't emphasize careful placement of gear, > >not leaving spare regs and spg's dangling all over the place, etc. in > >their basic classes. From my years of teaching, I know that its much > >easier to teach someone who might not know as much theory, but has > >learned the basic approach correctly. > >Wendell G > > > >Jbdvr@ao*.co* wrote: > >> > >> List,Being a cave diver and firefighter/paramedic with a ''good size'' fire > >> dept,(20 stations and 375 members) for the last 17 years. i often think how > >> DIR is almost universely practiced in emergency services, vs ''personal > >> preference''. From day one in rookie school you are taught how to rig and > >> wear protective equipment including the air mask in a safe and streamlined > >> manner. Everyone is required to wear their gear whether dept issued or > >> purhased by oneself in a similar manner, so that in a dangerous enviroment, > >> with zero-vis, in a unfamiliar location,( like cave diving?) in a out of > air > >> emergency, each firefighter can locate his buddy by touch contact alone and > >> locate his regulator to begin emergency air sharing. this is drilled > into the > >> new firefighter in burn buildings for weeks on end. i can't imagine how > many > >> firefighter deaths we would have if each member was allowed to configure > >> their gear according to their own personal preference. I asure you it would > >> be a huge cluster f... Even the pumpers and ladder trucks or set-up in a > >> similar manner so anyone can locate a critical piece of gear off of any > >> vechile in a emergency. As for George Irvine being a loud mouth hard > ass, you > >> should hang around a firehouse for a few years and listen to the veteran > >> firefighters go after the shiny new rookies that act like they know > >> everything when in fact they have yet to puke into their mask at a major > >> structure fire. It reminds me of the wild kingdom T V show where the lion > >> goes after the gazzel. NOT a pretty site! joe boone > > -- > Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. > Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'. -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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