August 2000

Recall of Survivair Twenty/Twenty SCBA Facepieces

The International Association of Fire Fighters has received the following Safety Notice from Survivair, an SCBA manufacturer, regarding the recall and replacement of certain Twenty/Twenty upper facepiece rims. The IAFF has addressed this issue with NIOSH officials who informed us that they are monitoring this recall. We believe this is a serious safety issue that must be addressed immediately. Survivair has instructed their distributors to inform their customer that the "facepieces not be used until they install the new upper rim." Additionally, the IAFF’s long-held position is that individual fire fighters must not repair or replace parts in their self-contained breathing apparatus. This process must be done by the department with trained individuals, or returned to the manufacturer’s warranty center. Survivair has notified its Warranty Center that they will reimburse labor and shipping costs regarding this replacement. Following is the full text of the Survivair Safety Notice.

Survivair Urgent Safety Notice
SCBA Twenty/Twenty Upper Rim Replacement
Survivair has received scattered reports from the field that the lens of the Twenty/Twenty mask has separated from the mask rims. Under those circumstances, it is possible that the lens may separate entirely from the mask skirt. This can lead to a serious safety hazard. All Twenty/Twenty masks that meet the criteria below must be fitted with a modified P/N 962031 upper rim.

Only Twenty/Twenty facepieces that do not have an "X" stamped on the upper rim need to be retrofitted (See figure below). If the rim does not have an "X" as shown below, it must be replaced. Please replace the upper rim only with one that has an "X" etched into the plastic. Then destroy and discard all upper rims that do not have an "X."

Please contact your distributor with the number of P/N 962031 rims and Rim Replacement Instructions you will need to change over to the modified upper rims. All replacement rims will be provided to you free-of-charge. Users of the Twenty/Twenty facepieces are authorized by Survivair to accomplish this replacement. It does not need to be conducted by Survivair-Certified technicians. Please discard all 962031 rims, whether on facepieces or stored as spare parts, that do not have the "X."

We know of no one who has had any injuries as a result of the lens separation. Nonetheless, we are conducting this retrofit in the interest of your safety. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your immediate attention to this issue.

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