Breathing Apparatus [Proto Mark IV]
Maker and role
Siebe Gorman and Company Limited, Manufacturer
Production date
1938
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Object detail
Accession number
1981.44
Production period
Description
Siebe Gorman Proto Mark IV breathing apparatus, used in fire fighting.
Brief History
The Proto Mark IV is a type of breathing apparatus manufactured by Siebe and Gorman between c. 1914 and 1972. These apparatuses were used in firefighting and by mining rescue services as a short-term oxygen supply when air was not safe to breathe in for the human lung. It is a called ‘rebreather’ because oxygen could be recycled using the absorbent ‘Protosorb.’ Protosorb sat in the breathing bag, soaking up carbon dioxide so that recycled oxygen could be passed back through the air supply and the wearer could re-breathe exhaled oxygen. The benefit of a rebreather was that they were light weight, giving better mobility to the user compared to an open circuit breathing apparatus which requires a larger oxygen tank. The development of this type of technology is credited to Henry Albert Fleuss, who was granted a patent for a self-contained rebreather in 1878, and later collaborated with the Siebe Gorman Company. This apparatus is thought to have been used by New Zealand’s firefighting services.
Marks
Siebe Gorman & Co Ltd London - Inventors and Sole Makers / 'PROTO' (REC'D) / MARK IV / (R. H. DAVIS'S PATENTS) / BREATHING APPARATUS / FOR USE WITH / PROTOSORB (REC'D) / ONLY / HOME OFFICE APPROVAL / 1ST FEB 1938 Engraved
No H68729 / SIEBE, GORMAN & CO. LTD. / LONDON Printed
PROTO / SIEBE, GORMAN & CO LTD Embossed
No H68729 / SIEBE, GORMAN & CO. LTD. / LONDON Printed
PROTO / SIEBE, GORMAN & CO LTD Embossed
Media/Materials
Credit Line
Siebe Gorman and Company Limited. 1938. Breathing Apparatus [Proto Mark IV], 1981.44. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
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