I set out to find gear to protect my family from a WMD attack, but it turned out to be more difficult than I thought. It was hard to find one vendor who would sell everything I needed and the distinctions between the various products were puzzling.

Upon stumbling upon the Babyscape, I sensed I'd found an ally in procurement of the necessary hardware (I have changed the email addresses to avoid the spam):

From: Mike C
Sent: Sunday, October 30, 2005 4:42 PM
To: sales@xyzdomain.com
Subject: Scapehood query

To whom it may concern,

I am looking for protective resperatory gear for my family. I am particularly interested in the ScapeHood (http://www.epssafety.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=146). Is there a version of the ScapeHood that will work with pets (cat or dog sized, no smaller)? My daughter is concerned about this and, for our family, I'd like to stick with a single vendor solution to simplify things
during an emergency.

Cheers,
Mike

The next morning I was happy to find a reply in my inbox:

From: Darla G
Sent: Monday, October 31, 2005 9:09 AM
Subject: RE: Scapehood query

Mr. C,

Thank you for your inquiry regarding personal protection equipment for your family. The ScapeHood is the perfect choice to protect your entire family against Chemical/Biological and Radiological particles. It ranges in size from a 3 year old to an adult and there is also a BabyScape for ages 0-3.For your pets the BabyScape could be used as long as your pet is small enough to fit inside and is tranquilized.

For protecting your family against smoke the best product on the market would be the Evacu 8 by DuPont. It is a one size fits all hood and gives you the protection required to escape from a burning building!

The price for the ScapeHood and BabyScapehood is $199.00 and the Evacu 8 is $89.00 Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance to you.

Darla G.
Chief Operating Officer

WMD and Industrial Safety
Consulting
Equipment
Training

Forward Thinking For A Changing World...

Her reply gave me much to think about. It confused me that smoke was brought up. It was WMDs I was concerned about. I hadn't told her this, but it seemed like it should have been clear.

I began to think about how to fine tune my budget to maximize my dollar. The importance of making the right choices also began to sink in: I knew that if I made the wrong choice, my pet could die.

My reply to Darla incorporated some of my concerns:

From: Mike C
Sent: Sunday, October 30, 2005 4:42 PM
To: sales@xyzdomain.com
Subject: Scapehood query

Hi Darla,

I'm glad to hear that the BabyScape can be used for small animals. Are there no smaller units than the BabyScape, though? I am reticent to pay for a unit that is larger than needed. Do you sell refurbished units? Some animals don't live that long so perhaps you've had customers return or exchange unused units.

The Evacu 8 sounds like a more economic alternative and the DuPont name is reputable, but I am looking at a brochure of this product (http://www.evacsafety.com/mediaresources/brochures/evacu8.pdf) and it looks like it might be less applicable to the animals given that the unit has no blower. It would upset my family greatly to drug our pet and have it sufficate due to an inapplicable design. It's not just the loss of the animal itself that concerns me, but the stress it could have on other family members during an already high-stress time. I have to wonder if DuPont has addressed this need in other products?

Cheers,
Mike C.

In her next reply, things started to get confusing and I started to get a sense of unease. She did, however, leave me with some ideas of what exists in the marketplace:

From: Darla G
Sent: Monday, October 31, 2005 9:09 AM
Subject: RE: Scapehood query

Mr. C.,

I would like to clarify to be sure you understand the difference between the two hoods I suggested. The Evacu 8 is for smoke only and it does not protect against Chemical Biological or Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) particulates. The Scapehood does not protect against smoke it protects against CBRN.

Neither manufacturer produces a product for pets specifically. In the past we have been able to import a "pet", powered air respirator from Israel that you would put your animal in a pet carrier and then put them in the respirator. This is again not for smoke but for CBRN and is for escape only.

We have not sold these in several years but if you are interested I will see if we can still acquire them. They are much more expensive than the version for people they ranged a few years ago in the $450.

Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

Darla G.
Chief Operating Officer

WMD and Industrial Safety
Consulting
Equipment
Training

Forward Thinking For A Changing World...

So although a final decision has not been made choosing a single vendor, I am gravitating towards ILC Dover.

No matter what the challenge if you really try you can do something!!!