Eli5: why do firefighters wear oxygen masks when fighting a building fire, but often not in a wildfire? You’re still breathing in smoke…

Question

Eli5: why do firefighters wear oxygen masks when fighting a building fire, but often not in a wildfire? You’re still breathing in smoke…

In: 483

Answer 1

We wear compressed air cylinders and positive pressure air masks. They are bulky and weigh about 30 pounds (15kg). The air lasts from 20-45 minutes, depending on the size of the bottle. Most structural fires are shorter events than wildfires but the smoke can be more contained and concentrated, increasing the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and modern fuels (the stuff in your house) can give off other toxins as well.

I only fought smaller outside fires as a municipal firefighters. I believe some wildland firefighters have special filter masks they wear in heavy smoke, their firefighter gear is also less bulky. Wildland firefighters also have to be more mobile than we do as shifts in the wind can quickly trap them, making SCBA undesirable.