All about gas masks GP-5

Since Soviet times, many of us have been taught the understanding that everyday life safety can involve wearing a gas mask. If in other countries such a means of protection can be considered highly specialized and is needed only for certain categories of workers, then we have a very popular gas mask GP-5, whose name is deciphered - a civilian gas mask. It must be admitted that in some situations it really does not interfere, but one should be able to use it correctly and understand that even such a defense apparatus is not omnipotent.

Gas masks GP-5 and GP-5M are the most famous in our country - if only because only the first of these modifications was produced three times more than the inhabitants of the Soviet Union. At one time, such a gas mask could be found in sufficient quantities at any enterprise and in special shelters for the civilian population. They were very much afraid of the sudden start of the war. Today, such equipment is used in most OBZh classes as a teaching aid, as well as in those enterprises where its practical use is quite probable.

The GP-5 modification was produced in the USSR from 1961 to 1989. Although the overwhelming majority of copies never showed themselves in practice, the developers made the appropriate conclusions from the few that happened. As a result, the GP-5M modification appeared later.

The device is designed to protect a person from contact with the skin, eyes or respiratory system of toxic and radioactive substances... It also protects against bacterial contamination. Moreover, such a gas mask is not universal, since it is not able to protect the respiratory organs from absolutely any danger. Much also depends on the correct storage of the device, and on the serviceability of the filter.

There is a widespread belief that the GP-5 gas mask has a certain color - marsh or black.

Gas mask GP-5 consists of several main parts, each of which has its own irreplaceable function, without which the normal functioning of the protective device is not possible. To understand how such a device works, let's study its structure.

The main protective function is performed by the so-called facial partpreventing contact of the skin and mucous membranes of the face with a potentially hazardous environment. It includes helmet mask with fairings - a characteristic rubber cover worn on the head, which uninformed citizens often mistake for the entire gas mask. For normal viewing, a spectacle assembly is arranged with two separate round lenses flat shape. Lenses, ideally, should be equipped with special films that prevent the glass from fogging up.

Some gas masks also include insulation cuff, ensuring that the glass does not freeze even in freezing temperatures. At the bottom of the mask is valve box, helping to correctly dose the amount of breathing air.

The operation of the device is, of course, not based on a banal protection of a person from the environment, but on filtering air that enters the respiratory tract only through a special filter. Filter element located at the bottom of the helmet-mask, looks like a characteristic cylindrical box made of metal. To the helmet-mask filter-absorbing box (FPC) fastened with a screw thread. If necessary, you can replace this part of the gas mask without discarding the entire device. The filter-absorbing box is equipped with an absorber of harmful substances with a low content of precious metals, as well as an anti-aerosol filter.

Any copy of a gas mask by default must be equipped with a special bag with a shoulder strap for efficient transport and storage in the field. The standard bag is equipped with three pockets for storing removable accessories (films) for the gas mask, dressing and chemical protection.

GP-5 apparatus - this is not only a set of parts, but also a specific strict specification that allows you to understand what conditions a high-quality gas mask must meet. It must be admitted that due to deviations in the same shape and size of the head, all gas masks cannot be the same, but nevertheless, their technical characteristics are regulated in detail.

These are the requirements that a normal GP-5 gas mask must meet.

1. The total weight of the apparatus should not exceed 900 g. The filtering-absorbing box, in this case, accounts for no more than 250 g of weight. The front parts are allowed in different models, but their weight is also regulated: 400-430 g for ShM-62 and 370-400 g for ShM-62U.
2. When folded, the gas mask should occupy a volume of no more than 12x12x27 cm. The filter-absorbing box has more precise dimensions: 11.25 cm in diameter and 8 cm in height with the cap.
3. Eyepieces and their location on the face of the user of the gas mask should provide a person with a view of no less than 42% of normal.
4. The tightness of the FPK is checked in the following way: when it is lowered into a bath with water for 8-10 seconds, no air bubbles should be released from it. In terms of the pressure of the mercury column, the structure must withstand up to 100 mm of excess of the norm.
5. The duration of the protection is not unlimited - the filters inevitably become clogged over time and leak. Regardless of this, the device should provide a person with an opportunity to protect themselves from danger.

Whoever tried to wear a gas mask, he probably knows that the design is always palpable shakes the head - this is absolutely normal.

That is why when choosing a size it is necessary to focus on normal compression rates. The developers, realizing that each person has a different head volume, created several standard sizes, and also developed a table that allows you to find out what size is yours.

The size is determined a gas mask around the circumference of the face, which is measured taking into account the crown and chin. After that, choose the size according to the following principle:

• circumference less than 63 cm - zero size;
• the result is within 63.5-65.5 cm - the first size;
• the result is 66-68 cm - the second;
• measurement equal to 68.5-70.5 cm - the third;
• more than 70.5 cm - the fourth.

Between the dimensions, you can see gaps of 0.5 cm, not related to either size. This is done because the smaller size can put too much pressure on the head, and the larger one can dangle.If your head circumference shows a gap between two main dimensions, it is worth determining by trying on adjacent dimensions - the choice will be individual and depends on the shape of the head.

It should be clarified separately that the size does not apply to the entire gas mask, but only to the rubber helmet-mask... All filter-absorbing boxes have standard dimensions, fit to masks of any size, and can be interchanged.

If the gas mask has never been used before (or has not been used for a long time), then before putting it on, you should wipe the outside and inside with a damp cloth... This, of course, should not be done in an emergency, when it is necessary to act as quickly as possible. The terms of use also assume blowing out the exhalation valves.

The GP-5 will only work if you put it on correctly. The smallest gaps left between the folds of the crumpled rubber part can become a pathway for harmful elements to enter the body. For this reason, it is important, even in an emergency, not to panic, but to strictly observe the procedure for putting on a gas mask.

Removing it from the bag, you need to unfold the product, stretch it with quick and confident movements, thrusting your hands inside. Then, with your hands still inside, you need to start putting it on from the top of your head. When you feel that the device is fixed on the crown of the head, move your hands down inside the mask and pull down so that the gas mask is fixed to the chin.

In OBZH lessons and army exercises, there are three positions in which a gas mask can be.

1. The stowed position is relevant in safety conditions. The device is folded and stays in a bag that hangs on the left side, worn on the right shoulder. The clasp of the bag should be outward from you.
2. The "ready" position is accepted by the commands "Threat of radioactive contamination" or "Air alert". In such situations, the bag moves from side to front, and its flap opens just in case.
3. A "combat" position is adopted either independently upon detection of danger signs, or by the commands of "Gases" or "Infection" (chemical, bacterial, radioactive). In this case, the device is removed from the bag and put on in accordance with the instructions reviewed.

Of any GP-5 does not have an expiration datebut that doesn't mean it can't deteriorate over time. Spoilage a gas mask largely depends on how correctly or incorrectly it was stored. A negligent owner himself may become the reason that his personal protective device has ceased to adequately perform its functions too early. In order for the structure to remain reliable and not fail in a dangerous situation, some rules should be carefully followed.

Let's consider these rules in more detail. The best way to store a gas mask is in a gas maskthat comes with it. It is necessary to store the protective agent folded - this is the only way it will fit into the bag. A properly folded gas mask takes up a minimum of space, while the risk of mechanical damage is significantly reduced.

Heating devices located in the immediate vicinity of a stored gas mask can adversely affect its tightness.High temperatures melt the rubber of the mask, therefore The GP-5 should be kept away from excessive heat.

Dampness is as dangerous to a gas mask as a high temperature. It can adversely affect the functionality of the filter element, so it is advisable to store GP-5 in conditions of normal room humidity.

Dust and dirt can theoretically reach a gas mask even in a gas mask bag, especially if the device is periodically removed from there for training. The greatest danger of foreign particles is when they get into the speech membrane or the inhalation-exhalation valves. In an emergency, you will be forced to inhale this dirt without being able to remove the gas mask. And this endangers life and health. To avoid such a development of events, the designated nodes should be kept clean or replaced periodically.

Particles of toxic substances or bacteria could remain on the surface until it underwent appropriate disinfection, and in domestic conditions, one cannot count on this much. By touching the contaminated surface, you run the risk of causing the harm to your health, from which you were so carefully protected.

The following video provides a detailed review of the GP-5 gas masks.