Unfortunate Reminder About Oxygen Masks

[goldberry]

This was interesting.  Pics from the Southwest Airlines emergency show many passengers putting the oxygen mask only over their mouths.

https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/04/18/southwest-emergency-landing-philadelphia-oxygen-masks-worn-incorrectly/23414580/

 

[mamaraby]

That was one of the first things I noticed in the pictures.

It’s possible that I have watched “View from the Top” a few too many times so I may have an advantage, but even I know it’s supposed to cover your nose and mouth and I haven’t flown in over 10 years. “View from the Top” is also where I learned about strabismus.

[GailV]

I wondered about that when I saw the pictures.  Dh, who flies a lot more than I do, seemed unperturbed -- he figured that they just needed it loosely on since they dropped altitude fairly quickly.

[gardenmom5]

they were dropping 3K feet a minute  (so, about seven minutes) and leveled off at 10K ft before coming into land at the nearest airport.   prop jobs fly about 10K ft  - you don't need oxygen.   (even at 15K feet - mt climbers dont' use sup. oxygen.)

I figured they were out of the critical zone.   - that the oxygen masks at that point were more about the ash smell and comfort as opposed to survival. (and even then - people have climbed  everest without oxygen.)

[Mergath]

I probably would have worn it like that, too. When I'm panicking, I can't stand to have anything covering my nose and mouth. It makes me feel like I'm suffocating.

I'm not saying that would be a smart choice, of course. ;)

[sassenach]

They look too small to fit over both unless you hold it in place. 

[Kate in Arabia]

4 hours ago, Arctic Mama said:

People are dumb and panic makes it worse.  Ugh.

There was a plane that caught fire after it landed here a couple of years ago.. there's video footage of passengers on board trying to get their stuff from the overhead bins before jumping onto those emergency exit inflatable slides, the crew shouting at them to leave it.  I can understand the panic, especially if you have irreplaceable documents and things, but if it's between that and your life... fortunately they got everyone out..

 

[PrincessMommy]

8 hours ago, Arctic Mama said:

People are dumb and panic makes it worse.  Ugh.

 

yup...and they gotta get that selfie first.  

[vonfirmath]

11 hours ago, Mergath said:

I probably would have worn it like that, too. When I'm panicking, I can't stand to have anything covering my nose and mouth. It makes me feel like I'm suffocating.

I'm not saying that would be a smart choice, of course. ;)

 

When I saw the article, my first response was "Huh?"

 

I listen and watch those presentations at the beginning of every flight, but it had not occurred to me that the mask needed to go over your nose. I mean, we have a CPAP in the house; it makes sense now it has been pointed out. But I probably would have put it over my mouth just like that.

 

And NOT because I'm "not listening" or "On my phone" or any of the other excuses mentioned in the comment threads.

 

ETA: I guess I'm saying: Hearing and comprehending are too different things.  And thought I "Saw" -- it never occurred to me to NOTICE "Nose and mouth, not just mouth"

 

[EmseB]

It seems like it would occur to people after a few seconds that they were breathing in through their noses and thus the oxygen would need to be over their noses? Unless everyone deliberately started mouth breathing because they put the masks on?

[Tanaqui]

Not that many of us have put on oxygen masks before. Plus, it's a panic situation. People make mistakes.

Quote

there's video footage of passengers on board trying to get their stuff from the overhead bins before jumping onto those emergency exit inflatable slides, the crew shouting at them to leave it.  I can understand the panic, especially if you have irreplaceable documents and things, but if it's between that and your life

 

People in crises can fixate on small things. This isn't stupidity, and saying "Duh, think about it! Your stuff or your life?" can't change the way the brain works. It's easy to sit and say "Gosh!" but any of us might be in a similar situation one day. Practice helps - but how many of us have really practiced evacuating an airplane?

In fact, I bet many of us have been in a similar situation, but with less short-term stress. How many times do we read posts by people whose loved ones have just died and who are frantic about how to dress the baby in all-black for the funeral? And I'm sure we've all had the experience of freezing up on a test, unable to move past that one impossible question even though, really, it's not worth that many points and we could just skip it.

When it comes to those passengers trying to get their stuff, my guess is that in the moment they couldn't focus on evacuating, so instead they switched to something they'd done many times before - exiting the plane as usual. Which means getting their things. And if two or three people are doing it, it's contagious.

[Selkie]

I was surprised that nobody was wearing the masks correctly in the photos that I saw. Very odd.

[Tanaqui]

They've never done it before, and if they had any doubts they looked at their seatmates, who were also doing wrong. Then they internally said "Well, if everybody has it on like this...." and tried not to worry. If they had had it on correctly, and all the others didn't, they might have said "I must be wrong".

[goldberry]

15 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

they were dropping 3K feet a minute  (so, about seven minutes) and leveled off at 10K ft before coming into land at the nearest airport.   prop jobs fly about 10K ft  - you don't need oxygen.   (even at 15K feet - mt climbers dont' use sup. oxygen.)

I figured they were out of the critical zone.   - that the oxygen masks at that point were more about the ash smell and comfort as opposed to survival. (and even then - people have climbed  everest without oxygen.)

They were at close to 32,000 feet when the accident happened.  Yes, they needed the oxygen masks, and the point is, nobody knows as it's happening, it's okay, I won't need them after a few more minutes.  You could be unconscious by then.  It seems unlikely they had them on properly and then changed when they didn't need them anymore.  

[goldberry]

Interesting..

https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Hypoxia_(OGHFA_BN)

If there is a cabin rupture or other cabin depressurisation that occurs extremely quickly, hypoxia can occur within a few seconds, especially if cabin pressure altitude is higher than 7,500 m (about 25,000 ft). This sudden onset hypoxia is termed fulminant hypoxia. At high altitudes, loss of consciousness occurs within a few seconds without any warning symptom. A “normal” person generally feels nothing prior to loss of consciousness and will be unable to recall the incident.

[goldberry]

I work for a fire station, something similar happens with carbon monoxide incidents.  We've had problems with guys being compromised with decision-making abilities MUCH faster than you would think.  

[frogger]

It does seem automatic to me to want it over my nose but that is probably because I'm a serious asthmatic and have had to use oxygen a number of times. 

 

That being said, the size is probably an issue when you aren't thinking and working on frantic autopilot. Most people aren't going to be analyzing if they are doing something right. It would probably cost more and take up more space of course but having ones that fit around both the nose and mouth easily and obviously would solve the problem.

[gardenmom5]

26 minutes ago, frogger said:

It does seem automatic to me to want it over my nose but that is probably because I'm a serious asthmatic and have had to use oxygen a number of times. 

 

That being said, the size is probably an issue when you aren't thinking and working on frantic autopilot. Most people aren't going to be analyzing if they are doing something right. It would probably cost more and take up more space of course but having ones that fit around both the nose and mouth easily and obviously would solve the problem.

I"ve had oxygen - but I have chronically congested sinuses.  the expectation I should breath through my nose always ticks me off becasue *I can't breath through my nose!*

(eta: ) and yes - I've worked with and without my doctor to open my sinuses. now, instead of very blocked - they're just "blocked" and I can take a few breathes before I have to open my mouth. sometimes.

[katilac]

14 hours ago, sassenach said:

They look too small to fit over both unless you hold it in place. 

 

Funny, I looked and thought, they're obviously too big to go just over your mouth, lol! In a couple of the pics, it's easy to see that some people have it covering their mouth and chin. If it can cover your mouth and chin, it can certainly cover your mouth and nose. 

[Spryte]

47 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

Oh wow. It might help if the mask was either bigger or had an indent or curve or something to make "nose goes here" more obvious. 

Yes, this or a picture on the mask, as a PP mentioned.

DH flies all the time, and knew, but those little cups don’t make it obvious.  We also have asthmatics in the house, though, and I think that bit of experience with masks, etc, makes it feel more natural to think it goes over the nose as well.

People panicked, and it probably spread from person to person, sadly.

Hopefully airlines will address this in the future.  Really, just a sticker with a pic on each cup could help.

[Tanaqui]

Quote

 

I work for a fire station, something similar happens with carbon monoxide incidents.  We've had problems with guys being compromised with decision-making abilities MUCH faster than you would think.  

 

 

That's another thing to consider.

I read a piece once by a woman who, when her carbon monoxide detector went off, blamed the neighbors for smoking and went to bed.

A few hours later the firefighters woke her and dragged her family outside. Once she was in the cold, fresh air she realized how stupid it was - but as they told her, by the time the alarm went off she was already feeling the effects of CO poisoning. If she hadn't been, she would have not made that error.

[frogger]

4 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

I"ve had oxygen - but I have chronically congested sinuses.  the expectation I should breath through my nose always ticks me off becasue *I can't breath through my nose!*

(eta: ) and yes - I've worked with and without my doctor to open my sinuses. now, instead of very blocked - they're just "blocked" and I can take a few breathes before I have to open my mouth. sometimes.

Then it would have worked perfectly for you.  :) 

 

Now for the majority of the population.......