Downtown Boston

I understood one of the reasons for the change was shoulder injuries. I don’t know of anyone getting injured shoulders from either harness. Im not saying it couldn’t happen. I just don’t know if it. As I said, the only positive with MSA is the more comfortable shoulder straps but that is countered by the heavier weight unfortunately. The entire setup is flawed. The connection of the regulator to the facepiece is faulty. Men have reported the facepiece falling off the regulator. The low pressure hose is to rigid. Maybe the lack of flexibility is the cause of this. I don’t see it as a wise choice and I don’t think the opinions of the guys using them is respected. I can honestly say it isn’t a situation of people being resistant to change. The MSA SCBAs just aren’t good.

I have given the MSA a real chance and I’m very disappointed. The low pressure hose is too stiff, the facepiece/regulator area freezes up in cold weather, it’s too heavy, and was a poor choice. Everyone is complaining about sore necks after an incident, and there is a very negative feeling about these masks. Nobody on BFD will complain to the administration staff because they try to single you out to make an example of you if you do. They only want to hear that their ideas are good instead of evaluating real feedback. This was not well thought out and once again it was a plan developed by people who won’t have to wear the masks and be impacted by them. The only upside is a wider shoulder strap but that is negated by the additional weight. I guess the MSA is here to stay but they are a subpar product.