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Gassing Alarm

Annik

Annik

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482
Vehicle
T6 Ocean 150
As our own @WelshGas has said before……
The Royal College of Anaesthetists issued the following statement on 14th July 2014…

Despite the increasing numbers of reports of people being gassed in motor-homes or commercial trucks in France, and the warning put out by the Foreign Office for travellers to be aware of this danger, this College remains of the view that this is a myth.

It is the view of the College that it would not be possible to render someone unconscious by blowing ether, chloroform or any of the currently used volatile anaesthetic agents, through the window of a motor-home without their knowledge, even if they were sleeping at the time. Ether is an extremely pungent agent and a relatively weak anaesthetic by modern standards and has a very irritant affect on the air passages, causing coughing and sometimes vomiting. It takes some time to reach unconsciousness, even if given by direct application to the face on a cloth, and the concentration needed by some sort of spray administered directly into a room would be enormous. The smell hangs around for days and would be obvious to anyone the next day. Even the more powerful modern volatile agents would need to be delivered in tankerloads of carrier gas by a large compressor. Potential agents, such as the one used by the Russians in the Moscow siege are few in number and difficult to obtain. Moreover, these drugs would be too expensive for the average thief to use.

The other important point to remember is that general anaesthetics are potentially very dangerous, which is why they are only administered in the UK by doctors who have undergone many years of postgraduate training in the subject and who remain with the unconscious patient throughout the anaesthetic. Unsupervised patients are likely to die from obstruction of the airway by their tongues falling back. In the Moscow seige approximately 20% of the people died, many probably from airway obstruction directly related to the agent used.

If there was a totally safe, odourless, potent, cheap anaesthetic agent available to thieves for this purpose it is likely the medical profession would know about it and be investigating its use in anaesthetic practice.
 
We are currently travelling down through Spain and was worried about being gassed when parked up overnight as we don't tend to use campsites, I see you can buy alarms that sense a gas attack, I always thought this was an urban myth but have just spoken to some motorhomers this morning that were victims last year, also just read this https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9636598/brit-family-gassed-robbed-camper-van-holiday-france/
Oh for such an agent/gas. It would have made my 40 yrs of anaesthetising patients so,so much easier.

Did these Motorhomes also tell you the Earth was flat?
 
If it's in the Sun it must be true of course!
 
We are currently travelling down through Spain and was worried about being gassed when parked up overnight as we don't tend to use campsites, I see you can buy alarms that sense a gas attack, I always thought this was an urban myth but have just spoken to some motorhomers this morning that were victims last year, also just read this https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9636598/brit-family-gassed-robbed-camper-van-holiday-france/
Just try claiming on your travel insurance.
 
Don't forget also, you need a carbon monoxide alarm, a fire extinguisher, and a suit of armour. Just in case
 
But we now all know the answer is neither….. it’s a Westfalia!
Just got back from Spain where we had a LWB T6 Westi opposite which looked quite smart until a 1970's Merc still with its Ambulance Livery turned up
 
So glad to get back into Spain on Thurs night after ten days' historics rallying in Morocco. There they don't have the kit to gas you, but the kids in the villages surround your car and pelt you with stones. Happened to us about five times. Cracked windscreen and peppered both sides of car with dings. Fortunately no head shots achieved on us which was just as well, seriously dangerous. Little f***ers.
 
So glad to get back into Spain on Thurs night after ten days' historics rallying in Morocco. There they don't have the kit to gas you, but the kids in the villages surround your car and pelt you with stones. Happened to us about five times. Cracked windscreen and peppered both sides of car with dings. Fortunately no head shots achieved on us which was just as well, seriously dangerous. Little f***ers.
Oh well that’s what insurance is for I suppose. Unless it enhances the vehicle. Maybe next time skirt round the villages or travel during school hours.
 
Oh well that’s what insurance is for I suppose. Unless it enhances the vehicle. Maybe next time skirt round the villages or travel during school hours.
Doesn't work like that when rallying unfortunately, the route is determined and you only have a few minutes leeway in the schedule even on the non-competitive sections.

I imagine you'd be fine on a general solo leisure trip, ie not building up the kids' adrenaline levels. However down in the south west of the country in particular there appears to be a generally ambivalent attitude towards foreigners.
 
Doesn't work like that when rallying unfortunately, the route is determined and you only have a few minutes leeway in the schedule even on the non-competitive sections.

I imagine you'd be fine on a general solo leisure trip, ie not building up the kids' adrenaline levels. However down in the south west of the country in particular there appears to be a generally ambivalent attitude towards foreigners.
What you running then?
 
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