Responders arrive at what they thought was a routine medical call. When they notice multiple victims down and no apparent cause, they need something to protect themselves as they quickly exit the scene… A worker in a tall building wants a device in her desk drawer that would help her to walk safely down smoke-filled stairwells in case of an emergency… An industrial worker is concerned about protection while escaping from an accidental or intentional chemical release at his work site.
All of these scenarios describe potential uses of escape-type respirators. Ideally, escape respirators are small, lightweight, rapidly donned devices that increase the wearer’s ability to escape from a wide variety of situations. They are commercially available for use against industrial chemicals, warfare agents, smoke and combustion by-products.