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> Yes, pilots have access to oxygen masks but this is a no no with fire. Anyone know why?
by matt-attack 13y ago
> Yes, pilots have access to oxygen masks but this is a no no with fire.
Anyone know why?
- evan_ 13y agoA guess- oxygen feeds fire. I believe that on-board oxygen is not stored in tanks but rather generated as a chemical reaction on-demand, so if they don't start the O2 flow they would not risk feeding the fire.
- nlh 13y agoI'm guessing because concentrated O2 is extremely flammable and would be fuel for a fire, when the opposite would be needed. Rapid fire-suppressant systems basically work by sucking all of the oxygen from the room/space as quickly as possible.
- bdonlan 13y agoThe flight deck O2 masks are specifically designed to provide positive pressure to avoid smoke inhalation in the event of a fire. There's no real reason not to use them - if the fire is close enough that it would matter you're already dead.
- nlh 13y agoMakes sense to me. Thanks for clarification.
- KMag 13y agoO2 isn't flammable and doesn't provide fuel unless the oxidant is something very electronegative like fluorine. In most fires, oxygen is the oxidizer, not the fuel.