MSA’s ground breaking modular system is tailored to unique fire brigade needs

Specifically designed for the European and International fire services, The MSA M1 Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) represents the most advanced, ergonomic and modular breathing apparatus the company has ever developed for those markets.

With the M1 as a breathing apparatus, the M stands for modularity. That modularity allows individual customers with unique needs to build or configure their product in the way that best suits them.

Knowing that there are regional differences when it comes to selecting an SCBA, the M1 is designed to allow for flexibility with product design to allow the end-user to more efficiently and effectively design a product that is going to fulfil their needs.

Designed to meet the European Norm 137 (EN137) safety, health and environmental protection standards, as well as ATEX intrinsic safety standards for usage in hazardous or explosive atmospheres, the M1 SCBA is fully customisable and can be configured to meet a broad range of firefighter needs and brigade budgets.

Its groundbreaking design and several other patented and customisable features that enhance ergonomics, hygiene and firefighter comfort have been noted by European fire brigades as key factors in their decisions to purchase the platform.

Its unique features allow for a deeper, more efficient clean and easy service and maintenance without compromising safety.

Featuring the industry’s lightest-weight backplate with a unique one-handed height adjustment; an advanced hip belt that evenly distributes the weight of the SCBA; and a padded harness that is fully water-repellent, it makes the entire SCBA system machine washable without disassembly.

The M1 SCBA also includes a high-pressure cylinder connection for fast cylinder exchanges and is compatible with MSA’s industry-leading G1 facepiece.

Beyond the breathing apparatus, the M1 SCBA is the centrepiece of MSA Safety’s Connected Firefighter Platform in the International market.

A key feature of this enhanced technology is the MSA Entry Control Board (ECB), which is designed to meet the unique needs of the UK fire service.

Serving as a cloud-connected fire-ground management tool, it provides incident commanders with air and alarm status of all telemetry-enabled breathing apparatus on scene.

It also features the fully integrated voice communication C1 headset, offering exceptional voice transmission and reception of incoming messages.

These are all essential features to enable firefighters to communicate effectively and reliably with each other, and to enable close monitoring of each team member. 

MSA’s ECB is capable of providing post-incident reporting and automated documentation and integrates seamlessly with FireGrid, a cloud-based MSA software platform that gives incident commanders the ability to evaluate and manage multiple situations in real time on scene, and from any location in the world.

The data available from post-incident reporting and automated documentation can help in the long-term monitoring of firefighters.

With graphic displays of on-air consumption rates, the data can show where and when a firefighter is breathing more heavily during an incident and make it possible to help identify any trends, patterns or possible areas of concern when it comes to individual firefighter health and wellness. 

The M1 has been tried and tested alongside MSA Bristol’s fire protective clothing lines and together they provide a particularly ergonomic PPE combination, with the seams and shape of the jacket positioned to comfortably accommodate the SCBA harness.