EN 403 sets the requirements for a filtering self-rescue hood for fire. Most fire deaths are caused not by flame but by inhaling smoke and carbon monoxide, and this device addresses exactly that.
What the filter removes
- Carbon monoxide (CO) — a catalytic layer converts it to carbon dioxide.
- Organic combustion products, acrolein and hydrogen cyanide.
- Smoke particulates.
A critical limitation
An EN 403 hood is a filtering device — it cannot create oxygen. Below 17% oxygen it is useless. It is therefore strictly for escape, never for firefighting or rescue, which require EN 137 apparatus.
Typical duration is 15 minutes, enough to leave a building. Hoods are commonly stocked in hotels, offices, on ships and on aircraft.