The General Service Respirator (GSR) is a military

gas mask A gas mask is a mask used to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Most gas mask ...

designed to replace the previous

S10 S10 may refer to: Automobiles * Chevrolet S-10, a pickup truck * Nissan Silvia (S10), a sports car * Toyota Crown (S10), a luxury car Aviation * Lake Chelan Airport, in Chelan County, Washington, United States * Letov Š-10, a Czech trainer ...

respirator for the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...

. It was designed by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and

Scott Safety 3M Scott Fire & Safety is an American manufacturer of respiratory and personal protective equipment including supplied air and air purifying respirators, compressors, gas detection systems and thermal imaging cameras. The company was founded in 193 ...

in collaboration with the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

, and was manufactured by Scott Safety. Avon Protection now manufactures the GSR from its factory in Melksham after winning the in-service support contract in 2019.

History

Design work started in 2000, and from the outset the GSR was designed to function better than the S10 in "hot, high and dry" environments whilst still keeping the S10's qualities in the temperate environments of Europe for which it was originally intended. It was also designed to be worn for longer periods than the S10, having been designed for 24 hours of continuous use in

chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defence Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defence (CBRN defence) are protective measures taken in situations in which chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear warfare (including terrorism) hazards may be present. CBRN defence consi ...

(CBRN) environments as opposed to the previous design level of 4 hours. The respirator was officially adopted into service with the Armed Forces on 26 August 2010, and training started during 2011, with

British Forces Germany British Forces Germany (''BFG'') was the generic name for the three services of the British Armed Forces, made up of service personnel, UK Civil Servants, and dependents (family members), based in Germany. It was established following the Second ...

being the first to field them. All new personnel are trained in use of the system. Existing personnel will be trained through refresher courses, starting with the British Army, and continuing with the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. By January 2015, all 300,000+ respirators had been delivered to the

Features

The new respirator, produced by Scott Health and Safety Ltd, reportedly provides a significantly higher level of protection. Features which differentiate it from the S10 which it replaced are: * Twin filter canisters (can be changed more easily while in a CBRN environment) * Single visor (better visibility and reduces the claustrophobic effect) * Improved drinking system (water can be passed through the system at a higher rate)Archived a
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* Ability to convert to EU standard canisters with a simple modification

References

{{Gas masks British Army equipment Gas masks of the United Kingdom