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To be useful at all, a smoke hood must meet certain criteria: It needs to form an airtight seal around your head and neck, protecting your eyes, nose and mouth; it must be constructed of heat-resistant material such as Kapton; and it absolutely must feature a filter that brings in air from the outside into the mouth. The filter, usually made with activated charcoal, protects you against deadly carbon monoxide-don’t buy one that doesnt-as we’ll as particulate matter and other toxic gases. An effective smoke hood will catalyze carbon monoxide (CO) to the more benign carbon dioxide (CO2). Standard gas masks don’t do that, by the way.
don’t consider a hood that doesnt meet these basic safety criteria. High-quality smoke hoods will be certified by industry standards. While no UL testing has been performed on them, a multi-million dollar proposition in the U.S., European, Australian or Japanese standards are accepted in the industry for these products. Within the European CE testing protocol, an EN4 certification requires that the hood withstand 10,000 PPM of CO for at least 15 minutes. A CO concentration of 75 PPM can be disabling; 500 PPM is lethal.
Whether youre facing a CO leak or the full-blown cocktail of toxic gases, smoke and flames from an inflight fire, immediate and decisive action will save your life. Brent Blue, M.D., pilot and cofounder of Aeromedix (and the source for the Safe Escape smoke hood), says, “Smoke in a cockpit is so noxious, its incapacitating. Its like being sprayed with pepper spray. Its incredibly irritating to your eyes, nose and lungs. Any smoke hood must cover your eyes so you can see.”