Imagine a self-contained breathing apparatus that is thinner than a San Diego phonebook, poses no danger due to vessel rupture, uses no backframe, allows you to bend without  spinal stress, and most amazingly, is up to sixty percent lighter than current models.

Thanks to two companies- Sanders Design and Vulcore Industrial- and grants from the IAFF and the  U.S. Department of Homeland Security- firefighters will soon be able to carry a featherweight air supply up to (90 minutes) on their backs. The design is especially exciting when one considers the positive implications on Hazardous Materials Response entry teams: reduced weight and body profile with a long operational period in the hot zone. It's like taking the world off Atlas' shoulders.

Sanders' invention basically takes the air bottle, divides it into mutiple smaller air bottles made of synthetic textiles, and strings them together in an ergonomic and lightweight configuration. Think space age sausage links filled with breathing air stored at 4500 psig.

The idea is not to reinvent the whole breather, but the stored air container. Sanders Design and Vulcore will work with existing SCBA makers such as Scott and MSA to integrate the new pressure vessel with proprietary straps, regulators and Personal Alert Safety System (PASS) devices.

Certification and testing are not complete, but to date the new units have performed flawlessly.

If all goes well, the new pressure vessel will be on the market within 12 to 18 months.

For a detailed Powerpoint Presentation on this exciting new techology, click on the following link: