Multi-Gas Detectors

[firenresq77]

Anyone have any preferences/suggestions for a multi-gas detector. We are looking to purchase some and are looking at different brands........ anyone have any info? We are looking for something easy to use (idiot proof), easy maintenance (pop in sensors and easy calibration that can be done by us), etc.

I know we were looking at MSA's Orion, I have seen Scott's Scout, we are supposed to look at ISG's???? and 1 other one that I can't remember the brand.........

[BostonFD12]

We have only had this Multirae detector a short time but from the training I have had on it, it seems that it will do alot of things for us..

[quietone]

We've used the MSA Passport for several years (and several models of the same thing) and have had only one problem with the latest 5-star model. The circuitry that connects the keypad to the display came loose so we sent it in, repaired it under warranty, and we had it back fairly quick. Setup, calibration, and changing the sensors is pretty easy to do also.

[WTFD10]

We use AIM 600's at my full time job. They work well, have a nice rubberized covered that stands up to abuse and are easy to calibrate and change sensors.

http://www.geneq.com/catalog/en/aim600_millennium_comp.html

[tripperff]

Opinions

We use the MSA Passport 4-gas and we have an older AIM CO detector, and both work and hold up well. I really only have experience with one other and that is the biosystems Phd. I got a good one-on-one demo of it a few years ago at the NYSAFC show and the salesman said it was so easy to use that they said Phd stood for "push here, dummy", and he was right, biosystems does make an easy to use product but I can't speak to it's durability.

On a slightly related note, there's a little story I was told a while back and and I want to pass it along to those who like to use the term "firefighter proof". There is no such thing. The story goes like this: There was a salesman who was trying to sell a new product to a chief in a suburban/rural Fire Dept. that was a fairly regular customer, and the chief always used the term "fireman proof" (old story from the days before the PC term firefighter, but I digress). Well, the salesman got a little tired of this chief calling him all the time when his guys would break one thing or another to tell him whatever the item was it wasn't tough enough and he wanted something tougher, so he decided to teach the old boy a lesson. He had a buddy of his make him 2 solid, 4 inch stainless steel balls. He made an appointment with a chief to meet him at his office and told him to bring his toughest firefighter with him. So at the appointed time they all met and the salesman told the chief he wanted to teach him something about things being "fireman proof". The chief chuckled and said ok. The salesman gave the two balls the the tough firefighter and said "I want you to go in this room with these things and do whatever you want for 20 minutes." The big guy agrees and goes in. The salesman and the chief stand outside and just chit-chat about this, that and whatever while this big guy is in there, and they can hear him throwing these balls around and so forth. But after about 15 minutes it goes quiet. When the 20 minutes are up the salesman opens the door and the big guy hands him a couple chunks of metal and says "I don't know where the other one is." The salesman and the chief start to laugh and the chief has gotten the point of the whole demostration: If you lock a firefighter (i.e. send him/her into a fire) in an empty room with any two things, odds are when you let him out, one is lost and the other one broken and nothing is truly "fireman proof". "Firefighter proof" is kind of an unattainable goal, if something can be broken, a firefighter will find a way to do it. Just make sure whatever it is you want is really durable and can be repaired quickly when is does break.

[DonnellyFire]

IST-AIM offers great gas detectors. You can get them with O2, CO2, Combustible Gas, and Inert Gas, detection. They are about $1000.00, but they work great. We had one go down, and IST-AIM overnighted a new one to us. They were great to work with. Good Luck!