Abstract:
Closed circuit rebreathers have been widely adopted by technical divers as tools for reducing gas consumption and extending depth and duration capabilities. Rebreathers are technologically complex with many failure points, and their use appears associated with a higher accident rate than open circuit scuba. Rebreather Forum Four (RF4) was held in Malta in April 2023 attracting approximately 300 attendees and representatives of multiple manufacturers and training agencies. Over two and a half days a series of lectures was given by influential divers, engineers, researchers and educators on topics of contemporary relevance to rebreather diving safety. Each lecture was followed by a discussion session with audience participation. Potential consensus statements were drafted by the authors (SJM and NWP) during the course of the meeting. These were worded to be confluent with some important messages emerging from the presentations and subsequent discussions. The statements were presented one by one in a half-day plenary session of participants, and discussion was invited on each. After discussion and any necessary revision, the participants voted on whether to adopt the statement as a position of the forum. A clear majority was required for acceptance. Twenty-eight statements embracing thematic areas designated \'safety\', \'research\', \'operational issues\', \'education and training\', and \'engineering\' were adopted. Those statements are presented along with contextualising narrative where necessary. The statements may help shape research and teaching initiatives, and research and development strategies over subsequent years.
摘要:
闭路换气器已被技术潜水员广泛采用,作为减少气体消耗并延长深度和持续时间的工具。呼吸器技术复杂,有许多故障点,它们的使用似乎与比开路水肺更高的事故率有关。循环呼吸器论坛(RF4)于2023年4月在马耳他举行,吸引了大约300名与会者以及多家制造商和培训机构的代表。在两天半的时间里,有影响力的潜水员进行了一系列讲座,工程师,研究人员和教育工作者,研究当代与呼吸器潜水安全相关的主题。每次讲座之后都有观众参与的讨论。作者(SJM和NWP)在会议期间起草了潜在的共识声明。这些措辞与演讲和随后的讨论中出现的一些重要信息融为一体。与会者在为期半天的全体会议上逐一发言,每个人都邀请了讨论。经过讨论和任何必要的修改,与会者就是否通过该声明作为论坛的立场进行了投票。需要明确的多数才能接受。二十八份声明涵盖指定的“安全”主题领域,\'研究\',\'操作问题\',“教育和培训”,和“工程”被采用。这些陈述与必要的语境叙事一起呈现。这些声明可能有助于形成研究和教学计划,以及随后几年的研发战略。