HOMEPAGE PERSONAL PROFILE HISTORICAL REVIEW HOWEBRIDGE MRS BOOTHSTOWN MRS PURPOSE OF A MRS MOBILE WINDING ENGINE AMPUTATION KIT OFFICERS AND STAFF SELECTION OF RESCUEMEN BREATHING APP PRIME FEATURES OF BA GENERAL CONDUCT OXYGEN RESUSCITATORS HEAT AND HUMIDITY RESCUE COMMS CANARIES AND LAMPS SELF RESCUERS SEFA BREATHING APPARATUS PROTO BREATHING APPARATUS AERORLOX BREATHING APPARATUS SALVUS BREATHING APPARATUS SAVOX BREATHING APPARATUS MINOX BREATHING APPARATUS ANTIPOYS TUBE APPARATUS

The Lancashire Mines Rescue Service CANARIES AND FLAME SAFETY LAMPS. The Flame Safety Lamp shown above is of the type that was universally used in the Lancashire Coalfield. It is the "Protector Type 6 - SL" (meaning self-lighter). It is still in use all over the World and manufactured by The Protector Lamp & Lighting Co. Ltd., of Eccles, Nr. Manchester. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CANARIES AND FLAME SAFETY LAMPS. It has been a requirement, ever since the first Rescue Regulations of 1913, that a flame safety lamp and a cage bird should be situated at the Fresh-Air-Base, whenever rescue operations were in progress. The purpose of both was to monitor the mine atmosphere at that point. The bird was there primarily to give warning of carbon monoxide gas and the flame lamp to check on the presence of firedamp and oxygen deficiency. It was a popular misconception that birds were used for gas testing. Even though they were taken underground by each team on every occasion, they were never taken inbye a fresh air base by a team, after that team were coupled up to oxygen. For many years, chemical Carbon-monoxide Detectors have been successfully used, which were far more reliable than the birds. When subsequent Regulations were made however, there was a reluctance to exclude the use of birds, taking the view that they were living beings with a much smaller blood volume and therefore, could be a reliable indicator of the presence of carbon monoxide gas. Actual trials with the effects of carbon monoxide on men and birds, showed that the birds would only give a prior warning in high percentages of CO, which were not of much value. The Flame Safety Lamp, however, was accepted as an essential part of Fresh-Air-Base equipment and played a very important role. It was a thoroughly reliable detector for methane gas (Firedamp) and was used effectively to indicate oxygen deficiency. The Flame Safety Lamp, did not depend on batteries and complex electrical circuits that could go wrong. It was an uncomplicated, robustly constructed, elementary unit and 100 per cent reliable. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------