For people who work aboard airplanes, training is going to feel a lot more like realistic because of new products being manufactured at Tulmar Safety Systems Inc. in Hawkesbury.
The products are used to train the crew of aircraft for emergency situations.
One of the items is called a portable girt trainer. The device completely replicates the tension a flight attendant feels when they pull the handle to inflate the slide occupants of an aircraft go down when they need to escape. The slides are commonly seen in movies about plane crashes, but in the real world, aircrew need to know how to properly use them.
According to a Tulmar brochure, the girt trainer only weighs five pounds and is four feet long by one foot wide when packed. Tulmar is promoting the device as being more realistic for airline personnel undergoing training.
The other new product is personal breathing equipment for cabin crew. When an aircraft cabin loses pressure and the passengers need oxygen, the masks drop down from the ceiling above their seats. However, the crew still must walk around. The Tulmar product is meant to replicate the actual masks that aircrew would use aboard a plane in the event of an emergency. The company advertises it as “Air Liquide-style,” in reference to the oxygen and breathing apparatus company that makes the actual devices used aboard airplanes.
Tulmar is promoting the personal breathing equipment for training as durable, washable, and repairable.
Flight attendants and pilots could soon be using these products during their training—and they come from a plant on Cameron Street in Hawkesbury.
Tulmar also manufactures other safety products used in aviation and by the military.
