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Originally Posted by x_sf_med
TR-
you did not ask about probabilities for the situations, just the situations, so I took a walk down memory lane, and pulled conceivable situations. The flooding was for the COL, even though the waters are receding, because he sent the damn rain my way.
I'm not sure if I buy your particulate / filter argument - breathability is compromised, and without quick action there are long term issues that will affect survivability. Esp. in the NBC scenario, without protection form the Cesium 123 / or various incapacitating agents you are in deep deep kimshi - anything harder than an incap agt - well you're basically screwed anyway (yup NBC school put the fear of chem war into me).
In the most likely situations - Fire/smoke, non incidiary particulates - common sense should prevail, as long as you have your drive on rag and remember how to low crawl with a purpose.
Mug - dust can be categorized into the bio category also, most of the deaths from dust storms are delayed - due to soil borne contaminants (mycoplasmic spores / dormant viruses ie. pneumonae mycoplasmiae, p.viriliae, a whole series of v. shigellae - thank you to the d.board at medlab, my one attendance required the study of the "pneu" section of the Merck, and as extra credit I was required to have a good understandin of the section "resp")
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Don't take it the wrong way, I am not complaining about your comments, you saved me some work too.
I am missing your radiological point though. All of the radioactive particles I am aware of will be stopped by an N95 mask. Are you saying that you need an NBC type mask for radiological contaminants?
As far as chem agents go, I would rather have my pro mask and a poncho than to be without any protection at all. OTOH, I live in a suburban area far from any likely terrorist targets. If the local water plant has a chlorine leak or a rail car of Chlorine overturns, IIRC, the pro mask will do just fine for a quick escape, as long as you remember to change the filters before using it again.
The N95s will work for dust as well, though as you note a wet drive on rag is better than a whole lot of nothing. I keep a dry one in my pocket all of the time.
Air .177, if you are under the debris, your mobility may be restricted to the point that you cannot reach your own pockets. The biggest threat there is crush injuries. The firefighters who died when the towers fell were wearing respirators (Scott Air Packs). OTOH, if I were going down to a WTC type emergency to work after the incident, and it had been cleared of noxious gasses, I would not work there without an particulate mask of some kind.
On 9/11, all of those above the crash line in one of the towers were doomed as there were no surviving stairwells. In the other, IIRC, one stairwell remained servicable. IMHO, if the workers had started evacuating immediately and had an escape hood and a good flashlight, many of them would have survived.
Just my .02, YMMV.
TR