PAX O2 masks for smoke or fumes???
 

Yesterday a AA Airbus flight diverted to LAX with smoke / fumes in the cabin. The ATC tape played on the news has the pilot saying the they had the O2 masks dropped in the pax cabin. I have heard of other similar situations recently. I called my UA airbus captain friend and asked if there was a procedure for deploying masks for smoke or fumes. He said there is no procedure. There is none for the B-737 that I fly. I had a simulator scenario one year that addressed this very issue. PAX O2 masks are for decompression ONLY. The masks are not designed for smoke mitigation. Any thoughts on this? Are there any airlines that have a procedure to deploy PAX O2 masks outside of a decompression event? AA guys?

The masks are for cabin depressurization. Now can they provide some assistance during smoke/fumes? Well that's up to the big man in the left seat. I guess I don't see the harm in giving them something, though I don't think that was the original intent based on the FCOM. Just my 2 cents...Though I believe the intent is to get rid of the smoke/fumes. I don't see any PAX OX deploy in the QRH for any smoke/fumes....so it obviously would be outside of procedure to do that.

Maybe they depressurized the airplane as part of a smoke removal procedure.

Other than the fact that if you do have an actual cabin fire you are now pumping pure oxygen into the cabin. Not sure if I would want to be providing an excellent fuel source to fan the fire.

LOL...Actually there is a note that says not to deploy them if fire is suspected.....

Our smoke evac check list procedure says set cabin alt to 10,000 ft. No masks needed for that.

I'm not trying to be critical of the pilot. I just try to learn something every day. I want to do it right if it happens to me. If Boeing or Airbus thought it was a good idea they would put it in the procedure.

This is becoming a huge problem for Airbus. More than likely an organophosphate scenario. It needs to be fixed soon. Just a guess but I'd bet a beer on it

Basic systems knowledge and understanding. Those "dixie cups" don't deliver 100% oxygen to each passenger. Also, they don't "seal" to the face like crew masks do. If the pax don the masks in a cabin smoke situation, they WILL be inhaling a combination of smoke, recirculated cabin air and some oxygen.

Bottom line, it may be a moral conundrum for the PIC, but deploying pax oxygen in a smoke situation may actually be contrary to the QRH.

We were taxiing-in when this occurred. Wondered what was up.

Finally crossed 25R, and counted 19 emergency vehicles around an American Bus (it was on Bravo). Then, it taxiied to the gate.

Nothing was said by ATC before or after.

I agree with the not-so tight fit of the mask, but the oxygen generators are supplying pure oxygen.