1. A RIT Pack
The MSA-patented Quik-Fill® System makes every SCBA capable of both receiving and donating air to firefighters in need, functioning as a rapid intervention team (RIT) pack.

2. Cross-Contamination Protection
MSA’s Ultra Elite® Facepiece is designed with a one-way check valve to prevent cross-contamination of the Firehawk™ MMR. Although regulators are shared among firefighters, harmful pathogens (SARS, hepatitis, flu virus) are kept within each individual-issue facepiece instead of being spread among SCBA users. (Refer to MSA Bulletin #0105-52-MC for third party laboratory competitive test results.

3. CBRN Positive Protection
MMR regulator diaphragms in general are made of extremely thin and soft rubber to provide their responsiveness to human breathing, and are inherently vulnerable to chemical warfare agent permeation.

Positive Protection is provided by MSA’s exclusive Tetraplex™ shield, which serves as the first line of defense in preventing chemical warefar agents from any initial contact with the vitally important second-stage diaphragm.

The MSA diaphragm has also been redesigned from a proprietary rubber compound which serves as the second line of defense in permeation prevention (Refer to MSA Bulletin #0105-108-MC for technical details.

Before placing you trust in an SCBA to protect against highly lethal chemical warefare agents, be sure to ask how the protection is achieved. “Protection” is more than passing laboratory tests, and includes the quality of design and manufacture of the SCBA.

4. Extreme Air Flow
Sure, all SCBA flow greater than 500 liters per minute in a static flow test, but firefighters don’t breathe that way. Firefighters breathe dynamically, like the Posi-Chek breathing machine that’s designed to test an SCBA.

A single MSA SCBA can provide enough air such that two NFPA breathing machines, (breathing simultaneously and plumbed to on facepiece), cannot over-breathe the SCBA! The MSA Air Mask has been put to the ultimate test and passed by sustaining a positive facepiece pressure under the most extreme dynamic flow conditions. That’s zero to 640 LPM and back to zero in 2 seconds! Airflow performance of the Air Mask is unquestionable!

5. Light Weight
When comparing “apples to apples,” the MSA Air Mask is one of the lightest SCBA on the market. Due to use of modern materials for construction, a fully equipped Air Mask (consisting of a facepiece, a full 30-minute high-pressure cylinder, HUD, RIC, carrier and harness assembly) weighs only 23lbs. In comparison, SCBAs made with metal backplates and less advanced designs can weigh in excess of 25lbs.

6. Comfort and Ease of Use
The contours of the Vulcan™ composite backplate are basedd on the design of a high-end German automobile seat, providing lumbar support and spine relief for optimal stability and weight distribution. Combined with the wide sealing surface and articulating component housing of the Ultra Elite facepiece, the Air Mask has all the necessary elements to eliminate pressure points and maximize comfort.

For ease of use, the Firehawk MMR is offered in either a Slide-to-Connect (STC) or Push-to-Connect (PTC) version. The STC uses a track on the facepiece, providing an ambient air “stand-by” position until it is time to “push and go” on SCBA air. The PTC gives the user the ability to “attach and go” in any regulator orientation with an easy-to-find funneled attachment point. What’s even better, the regulator shuts off automatically when disconnected! No more “fumbling” to stop the air flow. It doesn’t get any easier!

7. “Best in Class” Electronics
From the ICM PASS device to the Heads-Up-Display (HUD) and Communications Systems, MSA’s electronics were engineered for the Fire Service.

The ICM® 2000 Plus serves as an integrated PASS, providing critical information such as time remaining, cylinder pressure, and battery status, which is logged and can be downloaded to a PC if needed. The ICM is contained within a single enclosure on the gauge line for easy change-out, with no wires that can become snagged, damaged, cause radio interference, or create leak paths for water intrusion.

The Nightfighter® HUD (mandatory for NFPA 1981, 2002 edition SCBA) is also wireless and “snag-free” and features a unique photo sensor to adjust its brightness automatically to ambient light conditions. As a firefighter’s eyes adjust to dark environments, the HUD will adjust with you.

8. Low Cost of Ownership
Just as you wouldn’t ride on an aircraft that hasn’t been maintained, firefighters shouldn’t put their lives in the hands of an SCBA that hasn’t had preventative maintenance. Understanding that there is no alternative for preventative maintenance for life saving equipment, MSA has designed the Air Mask with the fewest possible parts, to minimize cost of ownership. The Firehawk MMR has only 23 parts and requires no special tools. The 1st stage regulator has only 28 parts in comparison to hundreds of parts in other brands.

Even at the reasonably high frequency of use of one cylinder per every other day, the cost of ownership of an MSA CBRN Firehawk Air Mask (protecting against chemical warefare agents) is less than $436 per year. After subtracting the NFPA required flow test, the MSA components cost only $11 per year. This is a small price to help ensure the reliability of equipment that a firefighter’s life depends upon with every use. (Refer to MSA Bulletin #0105-125-MC for the facts.)

9. Best Service in The Industry

Because we manufacture a wide breadth of industry-leading products (Cairns HELMETS®, Evolution 5000 TIC, Air Mask SCBA, Fall Protection, instrumentation), MSA attracts and retains absolutely the best distribution network in the Fire Service, providing you with the absolutely best service and support.

When you have the benefits of a first class distribution network, an Air Mas lifetime warranty, a CARE program, and a highly reliable SCBA, it doesn’t get any better!

10. Reliability That Your Life Depends On

You don’t have to take our work for it. Hundreds of thousands of volunteer and career firefighters (and their families) depend on the reliability of the MSA Air Mask to bring them home safely every day. There is no greater reward for our years of dedication to the Air Mas than earning the trust of firefighters-with their lives.