gas mask for smoke from house fire?

[par0thead151]

i am wondering if a normal gas mask will help at all against smoke from a house fire?
or so i need a oxygen tank and a full face shield setup?
also, what would be a heavy duty type fire extinguisher for a household. i would like to think i could atleast try to put a small fire out instead of evacuating and watching my home burn until firefighters get there.
i am lucky enough to be less than 5 miles from my citys fire house.

and i know what some of you will say... i know i know...
preventing a fire is the best thing to do, but some times even when doing everything right, bad things still happen.
i am a boyscout at heart, i like to be prepared for everything.
cold, fire and water are my 3 main concerns in this house.

 

[BrotherBart]

There are 32 10ABC fire extinguishers in this place and a Scott's Airpack. In a fire sit I do not plan to wait while the FD decides if they want to try crossing the bridge down on my driveway with the tanker or not.

 

[snowtime]

I am with BB. We have oxygen and multiple extinguishers in every room and building. Seeing as we will never get help here we also have full fire fighting gear and if thats not enough I have a commercial sprinkler system with diesel pumps that soaks everything within 100' of every building. The main pump is always set up at the river ready to go, yes even in the winter. I do know how to set up a diesel to start in cold weather. The main use is for a forest fire of course. We do not use any gaseous fuel such as propane and all stored fuels are in the steel fuel building 150' from house. I better stop here as I spent a whole year prepping our home for fire and I can go on a little to much. The idea is be prepared for your own unique conditions.

 

[par0thead151]

I am with BB. We have oxygen and multiple extinguishers in every room and building. Seeing as we will never get help here we also have full fire fighting gear and if thats not enough I have a commercial sprinkler system with diesel pumps that soaks everything within 100' of every building. The main pump is always set up at the river ready to go, yes even in the winter. I do know how to set up a diesel to start in cold weather. The main use is for a forest fire of course. We do not use any gaseous fuel such as propane and all stored fuels are in the steel fuel building 150' from house. I better stop here as I spent a whole year prepping our home for fire and I can go on a little to much. The idea is be prepared for your own unique conditions.

i live in suburbia, so i am OK on response time from the fire department.
however it is better to contain a small fire than have a larger one for the local FD to fight.
where can i get the oxygen tanks/masks?
would i be better off buying the fire extinguisher locally or online? i have a commercial account at granger and get discounts from them(their still pricey though).

 

[glockshooter]

Oxygen is the last thing you want near a fire. Personally, unless you're extensively trained with SCBA, you're more of a liability. When the FD gets there, do you want them to focus on finding you or putting out the fire?

 

[par0thead151]

Oxygen is the last thing you want near a fire. Personally, unless you're extensively trained with SCBA, you're more of a liability. When the FD gets there, do you want them to focus on finding you or putting out the fire?

i agree with you, however i am talking small scale fires that are caught before they get too large to contain by one man.
i am not saying that i want to fight a full on house fire, as that would be as useful as pissing into the wind.
I do have a friend whos job in the army was fire fighting, i should pick his brain when he is in town next.

 

[colebrookman]

Oxygen is the last thing you want near a fire. Personally, unless you're extensively trained with SCBA, you're more of a liability. When the FD gets there, do you want them to focus on finding you or putting out the fire?

Absolutely correct. No, never O2 at fires. We use O2 in the ambulance and air in the SCBAs. If it's a small fire and you decide to fight it, at least call the fire dept. and get the cavalry coming. Many homeowners are killed from what starts as a pan on fire on the stove. Panic sets in and common sense tends to leave. Having a plan, playing what if is good, but replacing a home is still much better than replacing a father or husband who was lost trying to save a pile of lumber. Be safe.
Ed

 

[par0thead151]

Oxygen is the last thing you want near a fire. Personally, unless you're extensively trained with SCBA, you're more of a liability. When the FD gets there, do you want them to focus on finding you or putting out the fire?

Absolutely correct. No, never O2 at fires. We use O2 in the ambulance and air in the SCBAs. If it's a small fire and you decide to fight it, at least call the fire dept. and get the cavalry coming. Many homeowners are killed from what starts as a pan on fire on the stove. Panic sets in and common sense tends to leave. Having a plan, playing what if is good, but replacing a home is still much better than replacing a father or husband who was lost trying to save a pile of lumber. Be safe.
Ed

100% agreed. my family's life, my life, my pets life, then material objects are in order of importance.
first order of business is to call 911. My wife and i have a plan set up. if it is just her home, she is to assess the situation. if the fire is say a small one on the carpet, call 911, grab fire extinguisher while on the line with the 911 dispatch, and if she thinks she can put out the small fire, do so, if there is any doubt, get herself and the dog out immediately, closing all doors behind her so as to not allow more fuel for the fire(oxygen)


if both of us are home, she is to call 911 and get the dog out while i go for the fire extinguisher.
i have insurance, so my life is worth far more than any material object.

as far as storage for a oxygen mask, it would be nowhere near the stove(but that snot saying that the fire could start elsewhere...)
i believe they make storage containers for combustibles, that may be a good place to store it.

 

[firefighterjake]

Random thoughts . . .

Gas Masks: They would filter out some smoke, but in reality they are still letting in some of the toxic gases such as carbon monoxide. Not really all that useful.

Oxygen Masks: Oxygen + Fire = Bad Things. Very bad things.

SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus, similar to SCUBA): Contains pressurized air . . . it's what we use. Works OK, but as Glock mentioned we also receive quite a bit of training in how to don this device, what to do if it malfunctions, how to get it off in an emergency, etc. Add to this the expense and honestly, it's not a very good use of your money.

Fire Extinguishers: Now we're talking. If you really want to talk about safety and start doing something before the help arrives (i.e. calling 911 first as Colebrook mentioned) put your money into some decent sized ABC fire extinguishers . . . and a good fire detection . . . decent smoke detectors are a good start . . . and if you were willing to spend the big bucks for SCBA you might as well get a monitored system so it will call 911 automatically even if you're not home. However, take the time to learn how and when to use the extinguishers . . . a $20 extinguisher is not a replacement for a $200,000 pumper with 1,000 gallons of water on board and several trained professionals . . . extinguishers are good, but they are really, truly only good on small fires . .. fighting a big fire is generally a waste of time and money . . . not to mention it puts you at jeopardy.

Insurance: Things are nice . . . and we all hate the idea of losing the stuff we have . . . especially the stuff that cannot be replaced. However, no thing is worth risking your life . . . you can replace a house much easier than replacing a father, a husband, a son or a friend.