U.S. Navy WWII Training Film: Use of Rescue Breathing Apparatus in Shipboard Fire

U.S. Navy WWII Training Film: Use of Rescue Breathing Apparatus in Shipboard Fire

Made in 1943 for the U.S. Navy, DAMAGE CONTROL IV shows the use of the Rescue Breathing Apparatus during firefighting operations aboard ships. Shown is the Navy Oxygen Breathing Rescue Apparatus, Type A-1, a self-contained, closed-circuit device. Oxygen, generated by chemicals in a canister, flowed to the right-hand section of the breathing bag, where it mixed with air previously passed through the canister, then to the left-hand breathing bag and on through the inhalation tube into the lungs. This process allowed the wearer to be independent of the surrounding atmosphere for the effective time limit of the oxygen supply, approximately 45 minutes.