Escape Respirators
Filters
Emergency Escape Respirators for CBRN and Toxic Atmospheres
An escape respirator exists for one job: getting a person out of an atmosphere that has become dangerous to breathe. ILC Dover SCape™ air-purifying escape respirators deliver 30 minutes of filtered, powered airflow so personnel can leave a contaminated area and reach safety, without fit testing, size selection or stored compressed air. Both NIOSH-approved models are available to order below.
What Is an Air-Purifying Escape Respirator?
An air-purifying escape respirator, or APER, is a single-use device designed for egress rather than for work. It filters the surrounding air instead of supplying it from a cylinder, which keeps the unit compact enough to store in a desk drawer or wear on the body, and removes the inspection and refill burden that comes with compressed-air equipment.
That distinction matters when specifying equipment. A powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) is built for extended wear during a task, and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) is built for entry into atmospheres that may be oxygen deficient. An escape respirator sits apart from both: it is stored unused for long periods, then deployed once, quickly, by whoever happens to be standing there. Every SCape design decision follows from that.
How SCape Escape Respirators Work
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Quick access
The unit is stored in a durable fabric pouch, placed in a centralized cache, a desk, a vehicle or worn on the body. Open the pouch, tear the sealed foil packaging and pull the yellow tab to lift the system from its protective tub.
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Automatic activation
Removing the unit from the tub starts the integrated blower and filter system. It immediately delivers 64 liters per minute of filtered air, with no buttons or switches to find.
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Donning in one motion
Insert both hands into the neck dam with palms facing each other and pull the hood over the head. The one-size-fits-all hood has no straps, nose cup or mouthpiece to adjust.
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Positive pressure protection
Filtered air flows continuously across the face and exits through a rear exhaust valve, holding the inside of the hood above ambient pressure. That positive pressure eases breathing and works against contaminant ingress.
Escape Respirator Models: SCape CBRN30 and SCape CO/CBRN30
Both models share the same hood, blower, neck dam and 30-minute duration. Selection comes down to whether carbon monoxide is a credible part of your threat picture.
SCape CBRN30 Air Purifying Escape Respirator
SKU 6000-10435-03 · NIOSH TC-14G-0277
Filters chemical warfare agents including sarin and mustard, toxic industrial chemicals, biological threats and nuclear particulates.
SCape CO/CBRN30 Air Purifying Escape Respirator
SKU 6000-11300-03 · NIOSH TC-14G-0312 · CE Marked 797525 · UKCA Approved 797527
Adds carbon monoxide protection
Covers the same threat set and adds carbon monoxide.
Selection tip
The main decision is whether carbon monoxide is part of your risk picture. Where a fire, a combustion source, an enclosed parking structure or a vehicle fleet forms part of the risk assessment, the CO/CBRN30 removes the need to predict which hazard will arrive first. Sites that want a single stocked item across mixed environments can standardize on it for the same reason.
Protection Performance You Can Verify
Escape equipment is bought on trust and used once, so independent approval matters more than marketing language. SCape performance is documented through NIOSH testing and certification:
- NIOSH approval Approved as air-purifying escape respirators under TC-14G-0277 and TC-14G-0312
- Protection level Average Laboratory Respirator Protection Level (LRPL) of over 50,000 in NIOSH testing, against a required minimum of 2,000
- Duration and airflow 30 minutes of continuous protection at 64 liters per minute of filtered airflow
- CE and UKCA (CO/CBRN30) CE Marked and UKCA Approved, built to BS EN 403:2004 Type S, BS 8468-3.2:2020 Type 1 ES CBRN30, EN 12941:1998 + A2:2008 and EU Regulation 2016/425
- Field record More than 500,000 units deployed globally
Planning Escape Respirator Coverage
Escape respirators only work if they are within reach of the person who needs one. Coverage planning is usually a question of placement rather than quantity alone:
- Individual issue For personnel who work alone, travel, or operate away from a fixed site
- Desk and workstation storage For office and control room populations who would evacuate from where they sit
- Centralized caches At muster points, stairwells and exits along established evacuation routes
- Vehicle and fleet stowage For response vehicles, ambulances and transport that may drive into an incident
- Body-worn carriage For protective details and personnel operating inside a defined threat environment
The soft fabric pouch is what makes this flexible. A unit that lives in a drawer for years takes up almost no space and needs no compressed air inspection regime to stay ready.
Industries That Rely on SCape Escape Respirators
- Chemical production and chemical storage facilities
- Control rooms and critical infrastructure operations centers
- Mass transit systems, stations and rolling stock
- Ambulance fleets and emergency response vehicles
- Government installations and public buildings →
- Dignitary, executive and close protection teams
- Pipeline operations and energy infrastructure
- Personnel traveling to or working in high-risk regions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an air-purifying escape respirator?
An air-purifying escape respirator (APER) is a single-use device that filters contaminated air so a person can evacuate a hazardous atmosphere. It is intended for escape only, not for working inside a contaminated area, and it is not designed for oxygen-deficient atmospheres.
How is an escape respirator different from a PAPR or SCBA?
A PAPR is built for extended wear while performing a task and uses replaceable cartridges and rechargeable or alkaline batteries. SCBA supplies air from a cylinder and is used for entry into hazardous or oxygen-deficient atmospheres. An escape respirator is stored ready, deployed once, and sized for a short evacuation window rather than sustained work.
Why does powered ventilation matter in an escape hood?
The integral blower pushes 64 liters per minute of filtered air through the hood, creating positive pressure inside it. That reduces breathing effort compared with drawing air through a filter unaided, which matters for a wide range of wearer fitness levels, and it works against contaminants entering the hood.
What does a Laboratory Respirator Protection Level of over 50,000 mean?
LRPL is a NIOSH measure of how much a respirator reduces a wearer's exposure to contaminants under laboratory test conditions. SCape achieved an average of more than 50,000 in NIOSH testing, against a required minimum of 2,000 for this class of device.
How long does it take to deploy a SCape escape respirator?
Seconds. Open the pouch, tear the foil, pull the yellow tab to remove the unit from its tub, then pull the hood over the head in a single motion. The blower starts automatically as the unit leaves the tub, so there is no separate activation step.
Which model should I choose, CBRN30 or CO/CBRN30?
Choose the CO/CBRN30 if carbon monoxide is part of your risk picture, which is typically the case where fire, combustion sources, vehicles or enclosed structures are present. The CBRN30 covers chemical warfare agents, toxic industrial chemicals, biological threats and nuclear particulates without the carbon monoxide capability.
Can escape respirators be stored in vehicles or worn on the body?
Yes. Each unit ships in a lightweight fabric pouch suited to desk drawers, emergency caches, go-bags, vehicle stowage or body-worn carriage. Placement close to the people who would need it is what determines whether it gets used in time.
How do I order escape respirators in volume?
Both escape respirator models can be ordered directly from this page. For site-wide coverage, multi-location rollouts or scheduled replenishment, request a quote or call ILC Dover on 469-822-8981, Monday to Friday, 08:00-16:30 CST.
Escape Protection Built on Decades of Engineering
ILC Dover has designed protective systems for environments where equipment failure is not survivable, from aerospace through biopharmaceutical containment to CBRN personal protective equipment. SCape applies that experience to a narrow and unforgiving problem: one deployment, under stress, with no second attempt.
Browse both escape respirator models above. For powered air-purifying respirators intended for sustained wear, see CBRN respiratory protection for Sentinel XL CBRN systems, or the full Advanced Respiratory Protection range.
Planning coverage across several sites?
Talk to the team about site-wide coverage, multi-location rollouts or scheduled replenishment. Monday to Friday, 08:00-16:30 CST.