There is further evidence that these regulations are not intended to apply to the fire service.
Some fire departments test their own cylinders while many utilize independent inspection agencies.
The current method of testing fire service SCBA cylinders is hydrostatic. This testing method has worked very well over a considerable period of time and has proven safe and effective. There is no demonstrated reason to change this method. The proposed ultrasonic method may not be adequate to detect flaws in SCBA used in firefighting environments. Further, ultrasonic testing will increase the cost of testing.