Thanks to BlastMask, functional fitness has never been easier for firefighters. The BlastMask training regulator is a simple piece of equipment that can improve cardiovascular fitness when added to exercises that simulate fireground movements, without taking PPE and SCBA out of service.
The fire service is growing smarter thanks to recent research on nearly every aspect of firefighting. From research on fire behavior and water mapping to best practices on fireground, decontamination and cancer prevention, firefighters are now rethinking how everything is done, from fire attack to firefighter fitness.
Functional fitness is key to the foundation of firefighting and reducing line-of-duty deaths due to stress/overexertion. More than half of line-of-duty deaths yearly can be attributed to stress, overexertion, and a general lack of fitness. BlastMask enables you to dramatically improve your tactical preparedness by conducting training and fitness exercises without using SCBA packs.
Research shows that slips, trips, and falls account for many firefighter injuries and medical costs. It also finds that full PPE and SCBA use are related to these significant injuries by impairing vision and functional balance, as well as contributing to heat stress and fatigue. On the fireground, we cannot avoid these difficulties. However, when we exercise, we can do so by avoiding wearing full PPE and SCBA.
Exercising with the BlastMask facepiece and regulator, which can be combined with a weighted vest, reduces unnecessary personal injury as well as unnecessary wear and possible damage to PPE and SCBA. Firefighting exercises can still simulate forcible entry, ladder raises, victim drags, and more without exposing firefighters to slip, trip, and fall injuries or possible exposure to cancer-causing chemicals in full PPE.
BlastMask’s easy use gives firefighters the ability to work out at home or the gym, focused on VO2Max without the burden of taking PPE and SCBA out of service. Made for either the 3M™ Scott™ AV-2000 and AV-3000 SCBA facepieces or the MSA G1 SCBA facepiece, the BlastMask training regulator is easy to carry and use. You don’t have to haul your PPE to your home or gym to exercise to the level of functional fitness for the fireground.
Firefighting is dangerous work. Preparing your body for the extremes of the fireground, like most training, should be done with the minimal amount of risk possible. Working out with BlastMask removes the risk and potential service costs associated with using PPE and SCBA, and allows you to focus on your exercises and form.
