California, New York Fire Departments purchase PASS emergency devices
The San Diego, CA, and Syracuse, NY, Fire Departments have each recently accepted delivery of several hundred of the new Lifegard Model R300 Personal Alert Safety System (PASS) emergency warning devices, according to the Antenna Specialists Co. of Cleveland, OH, which manufactures the device.
The New York City Fire Department has also purchased 2,500 PASS units.
The inexpensive, lightweight devices are about the size of a transistor radio. The firefighter wears the unit when entering the fireground. If he becomes immobilized, a pulsating shriek that lasts for up to 10 hours is automatically triggered by a motion sensor.
If the firefighter is hurt, but still conscious, he can set off the alarm manually to help rescuers locate him. (See “Dispatches,” FIRE ENGINEERING, August 1985.)
