Yes, you can speak inside a gas mask. If anyone will hear you is a separate matter. Some high quality gas masks have voice transmitters. They are designed to make it easier for you to have a conversation while wearing a full face mask. It needs portable battery power however, a microphone on the inside and a speaker on the outside. This is more like an amplifier, increasing the volume of your voice.
Voice transmitters are usually only used for vehicle crewmen or drivers because they might make a gas mask more vulnerable to leaks. Some masks have microphones that connect to a radio or intercom.
It might also be that it is difficult to speak while wearing a tightly strapped mask. When speaking, as your jaw moves, the seal of the mask usually breaks and lets in air. Therefore it is extremely important to be able to breathe through your nose in your mask. You can learn to speak without moving your jaws too much but it can be very difficult to understand for the listener.
It is definitely not ideal to have a gas mask on and that’s why we have come up with technology to make it possible to have a conversation from a completely secluded uniform and mask.
If you need a half face gas mask we do have some in stock. Send us a message here for more details.
We have access to this outfit, so if you are a firefighter or just want to show off, a full face gas mask with oxygen tank backpack costs $2,500.