Business
Moffat Volunteer Fire Department
The Moffat Volunteer Fire Department has been using the Xcaper smoke filter with the Manta X30 Shroud for over two years.
HAL R. PAGEL - Fire Chief
On behalf of the Officers and Staff of the Moffat Volunteer Fire Department, I wish to commend you and your Xcaper Industries for the quality of your Xcaper Filters. Moffat VFD is located in the Heart of Texas and is a primarily rural department. The majority of our fires are grass and brush. Previously, we have had sevral firefighters transported to the local Emergency Department for respiratory difficulty while fighting grass fires. 2 years ago, we purchased and issued Manta 30 masks and Xcaper filters for all personnel. Since that time, not a single case of respiratory difficulty has been reported while using the Xcaper system. I am especially pleased with this product. I have Asthma, and thanks to Xcaper, I have had no incidents of asthma while on scenes. These units are now mandatory for all fire incidents where airpacks are not used. Again, thanks and keep up the great work.
Newport Beach Fire Department
The Newport Beach Fire Department has been using the Xcaper smoke filter with Brush Pro Shrouds and Manta X20 Shrouds for over five years.
CAPTAIN DENNIS EDWARDS
..."I have been using an
Xcaper filter in a Brush Pro mask since it was a new product. And I know it works great. I use it for wildland, structure overhaul, and for fire investigations. The mask greatly reduces the exposures I was once subjected to. I no longer experience a headache or nausea following any of the above operations. The mask feels restrictive for about the first two or three breaths when I first put it on, but then becomes very comfortable to work with. I have been fortunate enough to respond on multiple Strike Teams and put the mask to use for extended periods on wildland fires..."
The Earlton Fire Department
In April 2006 the Earlton, New York Fire Department used Xcaper smoke filters and their Whiffs masks for the first time. Below is their account of fighting that fire.
CHIEF EDWARD LOVELOCK
..."When things finally
calmed, my men had nothing but praise, in regards to your product. They said, if it was not for your product, our afternoon could have turned into a nightmare! They all felt the Whiffs was a lifesaver and did the job it was meant to do. My firefighters, young and old alike, all agreed they were comfortable to wear and easy to work with, while perfomring the task at hand."
... "I had the opportunity to use my Whiffs face mask. It proved to be a great relief from the smoke during that incident. It allowed me to continue fighting the fire for a sustained period of time. As the safety officer for the Earlton Fire Department, I would recommend this mask for the benefit of firefighters."
JOSEPH G. KRAFT JR., SAFETY OFFICER, EARLTON FIRE DEPARTMENT
"In early April 2006 I responded to a brush fire with the Earlton Fire department. My partner and I headed into the forest he with an Indian pack and me with a fire rake. Before long we realized we were out gunned by this fire and began to retreat, but the winds changed and we were overcome with the smoke and fire. We were both forced to don our Whiffs. Because of this piece of equipment we were able to have a safe retreat from the fire and smoke. I would recommend this piece of equipment to any department or fire fighter for its ease of use of effectiveness and reliability."
DAVID ALIX, 4th LT., EARLTON FIRE DEPARTMENT
"In April 2006 I responded with my department to a very large brush fire. On that day smoke was so thick that I donned my Whiffs. I was impressed by how the Whiffs was so lightweight and how cool it felt on my face and wasn't encumbersome to wear. Now I don't think twice about donning a Whiffs during any brush fire condition."
PAT DONOVAN, ASSISTANT CHIEF, EARLTON FIRE DEPARTMENT
Thousand of other firefighters have used the Xcaper Smoke Filter performing their jobs. Below are a few of their stories.
JOHN GRANGER of the Estantia Fire Department in Estantia, New Mexico
His department provides fire protection for the Manzano Mountains in central New Mexico. "New Mexico is the driest tinderbox in the nation right now. Our crews have used the Whiffs® - Bush Pro® mask on several urban interface and flatland wild fires. The Bush Pro mask and Xcaper® filter give our staff an extra measure of protection that wasn't available before. The Xcaper filter is free-flowing. It gives the mind 'a sigh of relief' that if you're caught in a bad situation you are protected."
July 2000
June 13, 2002
Firefighters douse hot spots in the Indian Creek West subdivision outside Lake George in Colorado.
VICTOR HARRELL with the Lee Engine Company Volunteers in Elko, Nevada says, "The Whiffs - Bush Pro mask and Xcaper filter is a great product. I was a little skeptical at first but now that I have used it in the field, I can say that it performed above and beyond what I expected. As a matter of fact, the carry bag and extra filter are attached right to my web gear. I strongly suggest that every wild land firefighter buy one and use it. The break it gives your lungs from the smoke is well worth the price. The enclosed picture is from the Adobe Summit fire in Elko Nevada. The fire was about 10,000 acres." June 2000
TONY BACON with the Novato Fire Protection District in Novato, California wrote the following letter. "Many thanks for the improved filters! Just in time too! I just returned from a 16 day Team assignment in Montana. A day did not go by that I didn't take advantage of the opportunity to have personnel on my division use the Whiffs - Bush Pro and Xcaper filter; in fact the last time I saw my mask it was on a Fort Peck crew leader's face; heading up a firing operation. Please send me another mask and filters when you have the chance and please bill me this time.
By the way, the filtration system was a great hit at the Central Oregon Wildlife School last month! I would estimate that all the Task Force Leaders running crews through our live fire training exercise were not only impressed but also stated that it was far easier to breath through, compared with the Hot Shield You have a winner and you have a disciple! Once the fire season settles a bit I'll get in touch." August 2000
KIETH HACKBARTH with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) says, "This is the best smoke particulate mask and filter I have ever used. I will never work without it again."
May 2000
KURT BLANCHETT says that "after spending about 4 hours in the smoke on a grass fire, I did not have the usual post fire "dead" feeling in my lungs that I usually do. Nor did I get the same level of "black snot" that I've experienced with particulate filters. Paired with a good set of goggles (I was using a new pair from Bullard) the fire's heat was the biggest issue to deal with. No coughing fits or smoke filled lungs that take you off the line."
April 2000
CHIEF ROBERT KIENAS with the Somers Volunteer Rural
Fire District in Somers Montana says "Don't do what I did, do what I did for my men! I provided each of them with the Whiffs - Bush Pro mask and Xcaper filters. My lungs are permanently damaged from smoke inhalation. I now need to breath pure oxygen 24 hours a day. Wearing nothing or a bandana (which is equivalent to nothing) is just no longer acceptable.
A wet bandana can result in a steam burn - not with the Whiffs masks and Xcaper filters. Breathing smoke isn't macho; I'm proof of that. There hasn't been much choice when it came to lung protection during wildland fires, structural overhaul (after CO check), and prescribed burns. My men will experience less down time after fires and less claims on our workman's compensation plan now that we are using the Whiffs masks and Xcaper filters. The smoke and toxins in the smoke did damage my lungs over time; don't let it happen to your men." August 2000
MELISSA RILEY with the Lafayette County VFD sent the following letter:"WHIFFS,I am a volunteer structural fire fighter in Mississippi. I recently heard about and purchased your products. This past Tuesday I was able to use the MopUp Pro® mask and Xcaper filter during overhaul for a fully involved structure fire. The winds kept shifting, so as we put out the remaining hot spots the smoke would drive around us. I used your mask and filter from the beginning of overhaul once we were cleared to remove our SCBA's until we had completed the overhaul. I cannot say enough about this product. It was the first time in 9 years of firefighting that I did not cough or experience a headache after the fire. Even as we overhauled the structure other firefighters were coughing.
Upon removal of the filter from the mask the outer layer was covered in black soot. You really don't realize all that you are inhaling until you have a chance to see just a fraction of it on the outside of the filter. I will use the Whiffs mask now for the rest of my career and highly recommend it to any structural fire department for use during overhaul operations. Aside from the SCBA, it is the best product out there to date to reduce fatigue and lung damage. I cannot recommend a better product to invest in. It will be the best money you ever spend to protect yourself." February 2001.
