Scuba Equipment – It is Life Support
Scuba Diving is a fantastic and fun sport, but it always sounds a bit of bizarre when you hear that scuba equipment is considered life support. When you hear the word life support, one of the first things that comes to mind is the machines in hospitals. If you really think about it though scuba equipment does keep you alive underwater. Without it, you would not be able to spend the amounts of time under water that divers do, without drowning. Please note that using scuba equipment does require training and certification in order for it to be used safely. The following story takes Scuba equipment up a notch and puts it into the category of life saving equipment.
The story of a man who saved his life by wearing his scuba equipment during a house fire, appeared online courtesy of KPHO Channel 5 TV Phoenix Arizona. The Fire Department responded to a one alarm fire of a residence in the Biltmore area. It was called in by the owner of the estimated 3 million dollar home who was briefly trapped in the residence. Apparently some innovative and quick thinking is what saved the owner from more than just smoke inhalation. With the aid of an escape ladder and his scuba equipment, the owner was able to escape from the second story of the house. The house is a total loss but at least he can still go diving.
In situations such as these people have more of a tendency to panic but this homeowner is to be commended because in order for him to use his scuba equipment, he would have had to put the regulator and the buoyancy compensator on to the scuba cylinder. The entire unit would have weight about 40 to 50 pounds which out of water can be a little awkward and heavy to the wearer. While this type of use is not scuba equipments original intended use, the owner of the house is alive to tell about it.