Gas Masks: A Preparedness Requirement?

Magic Prepper • May 13, 2024

Gas masks are a staple of the emergency preparedness community as they represent the most extreme crisis scenarios—and they are a commonly associated piece of equipment with the "doomsday prepper" types. However, with modern offerings from quality manufacturers, the rising threat of nuclear conflict, civil unrest gaining in frequency, and the realistic possibility of terror-related dirty bomb attacks, do gas masks have a place for the average prepared citizen? This is a difficult question to answer as the purpose they fulfill is very niche, but if you need it, you need it more than anything else at that moment. Your lungs are pretty important when it comes to survival (breathing is non-negotiable). Although certain CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, & Nuclear) threats require more protection than just a gas mask itself, the gas mask is the most important component in a situation where that level of protection would be required. There are also scenarios where a gas mask may be all of the protection you need and wearing a MIRA Safety MOPP-1 CBRN Protective Suit won't be required. So, is a gas mask worth having? And should you integrate one into your preparedness kit? Let's discuss some options and use cases that may help you make that decision.

Likely Use Cases of a Gas Mask

Unless your job exposes you to harsh chemicals regularly or you're a professional in law enforcement or military service, there is a very low likelihood that you'll ever need a gas mask. But is that a good enough reason not to have one at all? Many situations, however unlikely, could arise where a civilian would benefit from donning a gas mask. Many of these scenarios will depend on proper filter selection, which will be discussed later in this article. The gas mask itself will also need to be the right style for the situation at hand, as there are a few options that will be compared.

Civil unrest events have become more frequent throughout the country in recent years, especially in urban environments. These events see their fair share of chemical dispersion measures employed, including tear gas, pepper spray, and smoke. Although the best solution for dealing with a riot is to not be near one, you're likely to encounter these inhalants if you find yourself in a flash mob scenario. Their purpose is to incapacitate a crowd and force them to flee the area in search of relief. For the prepared citizen just trying to escape a dangerous situation, these inhalants can hinder their ability to move quickly and maintain their situational awareness. This is where a gas mask could come in handy. With the right filters, you can easily defeat these riot control agents and maintain mobility while getting to safety. However, keep in mind that wearing a gas mask will likely bring some unwanted attention your way, and you should only put it on if absolutely necessary.

Nuclear events are rare and represent a worst-case scenario emergency event. Obviously, the Chernobyl and Fukushima meltdown events show that a nuclear accident is just as likely, if not more likely, than a nuclear attack. But both create an extremely hazardous environment. A gas mask is extremely useful if you find yourself in or around a nuclear disaster zone. By filtering out hazardous, radioactive particles, you can help prevent alpha or beta radiation from entering your body and directly affecting vital organs. Alpha and beta radiation are less harmful to exposed skin, but if ingested (through inhaling or eating contaminated particles), they can cause a lot of damage. A gas mask will prevent this from happening. In conjunction with a hazardous protection suit of some kind, you will avoid even more radiation exposure by limiting contact with the particles emitting this type of radiation. Although a gas mask will not protect you from gamma radiation (which is the most dangerous form of radiation produced by a nuclear event), it will keep the particles from the fallout out of your lungs, which is very important.

Obviously, biological events are a mainstream concern due to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Regardless of the eventual outcome of that particular event, it demonstrated the real possibility of a widespread biological threat. It also helped to introduce the average person to the potential military application of biological weapons and how easily they could be implemented. Beyond a surgical mask and an N95 mask, a competent gas mask with the right filters provides a much higher level of protection that actually prevents contracting a biological threat. Not to mention, it covers your eyes as well, which may matter in an environment where a threat is airborne, and droplets create a vehicle of transmission. You might get some weird looks, but if you find yourself in the middle of a pandemic or biological attack, a gas mask is hard to beat when it comes to avoiding infection.

Gas Mask Options

Having a quality gas mask is really important if you're going to depend on it to protect you. Materials like bromobutyl rubber and a polycarbonate visor offer a longer shelf life, better seal, and impact protection in a harsh environment. This is where buying military surplus gas masks becomes more of a gamble. Some of them aren't using modern materials and may not be effective against certain threats, while others may have been stored improperly and will not provide an effective seal. Not to mention, they may not be compatible with modern filters (which also have a shelf life) or may need to use an adapter, which could create a failure point. Personally, I own gas masks from two companies, MIRA Safety and Mestel Safety.

MIRA Safety has three main gas mask options to choose from, as well as options for children and pets. They're pretty much a one-stop shop for CBRN personal protection. One thing I like about their gas masks is that their designs consider the need to use firearms while wearing them. This is especially important for those who carry a firearm as part of their profession although it could also come in handy for the prepared citizen. I own the MIRA Safety CM-7M Gas Mask, which has a "bug-eye" look to it. But that look is a byproduct of designing the mask specifically for use with a rifle. Thanks to its shape, you can actually get a functional cheek weld on a buttstock, which means using a magnified optic is no issue. I find this mask to be really functional and easy to wear, but I would only recommend it if you were set on having the ability to shoot a rifle while wearing it.

MIRA Safety CM-7M Gas Mask
MIRA Safety CM-7M Gas Mask

I also own the MIRA Safety CM-6M Gas Mask with Drinking System, which I find to be the more practical option for emergency use. The main difference is that it has a panoramic visor that allows an excellent field of view. It is much easier to maintain situational awareness while wearing the CM-6M than with the CM-7M. However, that panoramic visor does not allow for a cheek weld on a rifle stock. You can still make it work with a red dot optic on a tall mount, but even that is uncomfortable and difficult to achieve. A magnified optic is out of the question. But, if you're only worried about having it as a "get home" or emergency piece of equipment and the use of a rifle is a lower priority, then the CM-6M is a really good choice. The field of view and ability to use your peripheral vision is really beneficial. Not to mention that you can still use a handgun without issue. And if I am using this as part of an emergency kit in my vehicle or at my workplace, a concealed carry pistol is something I'm more likely to have on me than a rifle anyway.

MIRA Safety CM-6M Gas Mask with Drinking System
MIRA Safety CM-6M Gas Mask with Drinking System

MIRA Safety also offers the MIRA Safety CM-8M Gas Mask now, which combines the panoramic view of the CM-6M with the ability to use a rifle of the CM-7M. I don't currently own one so I cannot say from experience that it is the best of both worlds. But I have heard good things, and at the least, it's probably better than the CM-7M. As I said, they offer children's gas masks, setups for your pets, hazmat suits, and the MIRA Safety Gas Mask Drop Leg Pouch so that you can have one as part of your tactical kit. They use high-quality materials that are being used by law enforcement and military forces around the world. They also use 40mm NATO Standard filter ports, which is what you want in order to use modern, quality filters. I have zero doubts that their products will serve you well regardless of which model you decide on. They also offer filters, which I will discuss here shortly.

Mestel Safety offers the SGE series of gas masks, and they are very high quality and comfortable. I personally own the SGE 400/3BB, which offers a butyl face seal that protects you from some of the harsher chemical threats that are out there. The best part of the SGE 400/3BB is that the entire facial covering is polycarbonate, giving you maximum protection from impacts and the greatest field of view while wearing a gas mask. It's really nice to wear when it comes to situational awareness and does protect your entire face from flying debris. One thing it is not good for is shooting a rifle. It has three 40mm filter ports available so that you can move the filter to whatever side might accommodate that action more easily. But you cannot get a cheek weld with your buttstock the way you can with the MIRA Safety CM-7M or CM-8M. But if that's not important to you, then it is a really nice gas mask. They all offer the same level of CBRN protection and work with modern filter cartridges. Personally, I like the CM-6M for most situations, but I am glad I have the CM-7M as part of my tactical kit just in case that rifle component becomes a necessity.

SGE 400/3BB
SGE 400/3BB

Gas Mask Filters

Filter selection is what actually protects you from the threat while wearing a gas mask. And there are many to choose from since you need specialized filters for certain threats. However, there are some "do-all" type filters, which are generally what you want to acquire as we don't really know what the threat is going to be unless it's work-specific. For example, they make gas mask filters for smoke that could come in handy for those who work with or are near a wildfire. There is also the MIRA Safety P-CAN Gas Mask Filter, which is specifically designed for police use and only meant for filtering out riot control gas. But as the average prepared citizen, we don't know if the one time we might need a gas mask will be because of a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear threat.

That's why one of the best filters on the market right now is the MIRA Safety NBC-77 SOF Gas Mask Filter. Without going into the nitty-gritty specifications of gas mask filters (which gets very complex), the NBC-77 covers a wide variety of threats, including all known CBRN agents, radioactive iodine, and more. It also boasts a 20-year shelf life, which is very good in comparison to the five or 10-year shelf life of similar filters on the market. It is threaded for 40mm NATO standard filter ports and is made to be durable against shock and impacts. Unless you're in a profession that requires specified equipment to deal with potential hazards, this filter is a great option when the threat is generally "unknown." I have them for all my family's gas masks and a few spares for testing and evaluation. Luckily, I've never needed them for real-life applications, so my experience with their effectiveness is limited. But I don't have any doubts about them working as advertised.

Final Words

So, are gas masks a preparedness requirement? I think it would be wise to have them and not need them, then need them and not have them. Because if you need a gas mask, you really need a gas mask. However, due to the low probability of actually needing a gas mask as a civilian, I would not prioritize owning one along with the necessary filter cartridges over other staples of preparedness. If you have a gas mask and filter but only one week's worth of food on hand, you most likely haven't properly prioritized your preparedness. But, if your basics are covered when it comes to food, water, shelter, security, power, medical, and communications, then adding a gas mask is not a bad idea at all. Just make sure you get one that provides you with a high level of protection, the capabilities that you need, and a filter that will cover a wide spectrum of CBRN threats.

-- Magic Prepper