MSA Self-Contained
Breathing Apparatus

In the 1960s, many fire departments in the western US began to equip fire apparatus with self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) for all personnel. Previously, in the LA County Fire Department, SCBA were carried on rescue units and ladder trucks, but most engine companies carried only one or two of the breathing apparatus. This unit, with its steel compressed air cylinder and one-piece visor, is an example of the state-of-the-art equipment at that time.