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Question regarding smoke in cabin

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NEDude

yada yada yada
Joined
Dec 12, 2001
Posts
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A quick survey for all of you.

Why do most checklists (at least the four aircraft I have been typed on) ignore cabin O2 for pax with regards to smoke or fire?

What are your thoughts on this, do you provide O2 for the pax if there is smoke or not?

I know my answer but do not what to skew responses. What do you folks do/not do and why?

Yes, there are a bunch of us bored at the crashpad right now.

PS- Any references would be welcome as well.
 
My checklist addresses the pax in the non-memory portion. Granted it takes them a little longer to get O2, but it is obvious why we need it first.
 
Clarification - On follow up items there is some mention of pax O2 for some of the aircraft we have researched, but only after smoke has been eliminated (ie depressurization to ventilate the aircraft).
 
Nope, not if a fire is suspected. Adding O2 to a fire could turn it into an inferno. If the fire is completely extinguished, then yes, O2 is okay for the pax.
 
I agree with Daytona (so does Boeing and Delta.)

Smoke in the cabin = Do not deploy pax O2.
 
The passenger oxygen masks have re-breather bags that mix ambient air. If there is smoke in the cabin then it mixes with the oxygen the passenger is breathing doing more harm than good. Plus what another poster said about not adding more oxygen to the fire in the cabin.
 
Passenger oxygen generators do not provide the positive pressure to keep the smoke out of the cup, so people would be breathing oxygen smoke. They will also be providing a fresh oxygen and heat supply to a fire.
 
A quick survey for all of you.

Why do most checklists (at least the four aircraft I have been typed on) ignore cabin O2 for pax with regards to smoke or fire?

The main reason is because the oxygen masks that passengers use mix ambient (smoke-filled) air in. They won't help, and will in fact make things worse than simply covering the nose and mouth with clothing, which can help filter the smoke somewhat.

If they had the type of masks we have up in the cockpit, that would be a different story, but they don't. Those masks are really only useful for a high cabin altitude.

Also, as Daytonaflyer points out, starting up a bunch of oxygen generators would be a really bad idea when there's already a fire.

I don't have any references handy; the only thing I could find is this Wikipedia page, but I don't feel Wikipedia's a reliable reference.
 
The passenger oxygen masks have re-breather bags that mix ambient air. If there is smoke in the cabin then it mixes with the oxygen the passenger is breathing doing more harm than good.

As opposed to breathing smoke and smoke?

Are the masks only to be used to prevent hypoxia?

Here's a question that I wanna know - Do the hoses extend far enough that you could be on the floor and still have the mask on?
 
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They won't help, and will in fact make things worse than simply covering the nose and mouth with clothing, which can help filter the smoke somewhat.

Those masks are really only useful for a high cabin altitude.

Ahhhh, I see what ya did there. You answered my questions 4 minutes before I even asked them!
 

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