EMS Turnout Gear

[trauma74 111]

What EMS agencies have turnout gear for their members? What EMS agencies have some on the buses for crews to use? What are the SOPs for its use?

[CM36 4]

FDNY EMS has turn out gear. It is tan and it is two parts a coat and pants. You have to wear it on all MVAs, any really bloody calls, fires, and any other MCIs that we responded to. They are really nice to wear.

[tdc202 0]

Mobile Life Support services has Turnout coats and helmets in each ambulance for the crew and is required on all MVA's .ALamo also has turnout coats and helmets on each ambulance and is also required on each Mva.

[Guest partyrock]

I really hope the FDNY equiment catches on with other agencies. I believe a few other municipalities are using simmilar if not the same equpiment. What reasons do we have for wearing jackets and helmets at MVA's? I was always fed that there was a greater risk for exposure due to the jagged edges etc. In all my time with EMS and to this day working for the voluntaries I never tore my shirt and never got blood on my shirt and not on my pants. I had a nasty FDNY eng vs car that had me under a car covered in blood, fuel and everything else. Damn i wish I'd had more than my pumpkin helmet and crap blue jacket that day. Its not often, but even if its once a year, it sure beats the hell out of the HIV cocktail.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

I never understood how agencies could consider putting a turnout coat and helmet on an ambulance and call that PPE. I didn't know they were one size fits all. There are very few turnout coats on any ambulance that would fit me and most of my co-workers and friends.

FDNY from what I've seen with the gear is a step ahead. But for some agencies that could be above and beyond what their scope is. I've seen many agencies buying nomex jump suits that are bloodborne pathogens compliant along with zippered leather fire boots (which any safety boot that is blood/oil resistant would do) which seems to work well with most suburban providers. MVA's, trauma's etc.

Perhaps a brother or sister from FDNY EMS can answer this, but isn't one of the reasons why they issued full structural firefighting turnout gear is also so EMS providers can conduct decon if needed?

What would help also is agencies getting real about uniforms and understand that uniform shirts are not always functional. Simple golf shirts, long and short sleeve and nicely designed sweatshirts with logo on them are. We work in the mud, blood, sweat and char. Dump the badges and uniform shirts and lets get functional with our uniforms and comfortable for our providers.

[CM36 4]

Perhaps a brother or sister from FDNY EMS can answer this, but isn't one of the reasons why they issued full structural firefighting turnout gear is also so EMS providers can conduct decon if needed?

Yes we can conduct decon if need, but that i left you to the haz-tac bus or the fire boys.

The another reason that FDNY EMS got turnout gear is because the department got a lot of money form the homeland security fund and they said they where going to take the money away if they didn't start sending it so we got the new gear and the whole department is all Haz-Mat awareness. The reason that the gear is tan and not black is to sperate EMS and Fire, any private unit that operates with in the NYC 911 EMS system also has to have them.

The reason that we have to wear the gear on the MVAs is because of the fluids, and glass.

[ex-commish 490]

All of our emt's are assigned a set of EMS gear which like fire gear, hangs on a peg and you come in the house, suit up and get in the bus. We also have an abudance of gear at all different sizes for drivers and others who ride. We also carry helmets and turnout coats in the rigs.

[JetPhoto 626]

What EMS agencies have turnout gear for their members? What EMS agencies have some on the buses for crews to use? What are the SOPs for its use?

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Beacon Volunteer Ambulance just got turnout gear as part of the fire grants. each member is issued a helmet, turn out coat and pants and a pair of extrication gloves. We have the Morning Pride USAR rated gear. The gear can be used on all calls.

[Guest]

The EMS turnout gear is morning pride structural firefighting gear? A buddy of mine mentioned that they had gotten a whole new set of gear including some new boots with steel toes and such. Very good idea - if it wasn't so expensive i would consider buying my own.

[trauma74 111]

For many years my VAC had a few turnout coats and blue Metro style helmets on each bus. These coats were very heavy structural firefighting coats from some no-name brand. They were royal blue with white reflective lettering. Each coat also had a pair of FD gloves in it because extrications gloves were not available on the market. The Captain and the two Lieutenants were always issued their own coats and white Metro style helmets. There was no SOP on the use of turnout coats and helmets. Members and Officers used them basically when they felt like it when operating at an MVA or any other call on the highway.

When I became Captain, another one of my progressive ideas was to eventually get turnout gear for the majority of my members. Every time we went to an MVA, the FD was in full turnout our gear, even the probies who were milling around the manpower pool, the drivers had coats on and the Chiefs were in full gear. None of these guy in turnout gear were operating inside the vehicle doing patient care. My VAC would arrive with members wearing uniform boots, EMS pants and uniform shirts. Members who were not on duty for EMS, but responded to the call to assist were in jeans, t-shirts and sneakers. Pictures of one particular MVA showed up on our FDs website. I showed 2 members of my VAC providing patient care in a vehicle that had its roof removed by the FD. There was broken glass all over, sharp metal edges on the posts that were cut to remove the roof and there was fluids all around. I though to myself "What will happen if one of my members gets injured on a call like this?" "Will OSHA come down to our HQ and crawl up our a**es with a microscope?" "Will I be liable as the Chief of Operations for not enforcing the use of PPE?" "Will we get sued?"

I know that we are not required to follow the NFPA standards because we are not part of the FD. NFPA standards were one of the reasons why all of the FD guys were in full PPE. I began looking into the cost of getting full turnout gear for my members and I knew that we could not afford it. We knew that the Town Board would not provide these funds for us. We are not a tax district so we are at the mercy of the Town every year come budget time. They give us only 1/2 of what we need every year and we have to bill for our services in order to make up the other half of our budget.

Our local State Senator for our area (William Larkin) helped us with money in the past so I figured I would give a shot at asking him for the money. I wrote him a letter explaining what we needed and why we needed it. I requested $50K. He ended us giving is $30K which was enough for me to get 22 sets for my members.

I started shopping around for gear that was suitable for our needs. I got a demo set of Glode EMS turnout gear. It was not what I was really looking for. I wanted something more along the lines of a light weight gear made from the same outer shell as FD PPE. We did not need all of the same liners that the FD gear had. While at the Baltimore at the Firehouse Expo 2 years ago I went to the Morning Pride booth and I saw the new Morning Pride USAR gear. They had a tan set of gear there. The gear was rated for USAR Ops, EMS Ops and it was rated against certain fluids. The outer shell was far more superior then the Globe EMS gear. One of the employees of the Total Fire Group is the wife of the nationally known Fire Chief Billy Goldfeder who happens to be a friend of mine. She put me in touch with Jeff from First Due Fire Equipment in Rockland County, NY. Jeff got in touch with me once I was back in Town. Jeff came up a week or so later and we sat down and spec'd out the gear.

Below are the specs for our gear that we ordered and are currently using:

- Blue Metro Style helmets with helmet front pieces that have our VACs name and the member's operator number on them. The Line Officers have these same helmets, but in white. We have the goggles on our helmets instead of the flip down full face shield.

- We have navy blue Morning Pride USAR turnout coats. We decided to go with blue instead of tan so people could tell our members apart from the FD which uses tan gear. We have the yellow reflective stripes with the gray middle on the gear, a gray reflective Star of Life on the back and the writting is in yellow reflective. On the tail part of the coat we have the members names on a velcro strip in case we have to re-issue the gear. The coats also have huge side pockets and a radio pocket on the left front chest.

- We have navy blue matching Morning Pride bunker pants. They have the built in knee pads, side pockets and we have the suspenders for the pants. These pants have the same kind of reflective striping as the coats.

- For boots, we have the Pro Warrington USAR boots. They have some leather and some heavy duty nylon/nomex material. They also have those funny looking ribbed toe areas.

- All members also get a pair of safety glasses, Ergodyne Extrication gloves and a nice heavy duty nylon turnout gear bag.

We also now have a written policy that states that full turnout gear MUST be worn on all MVA calls no matter how minor and any other calls that require our members to operate on a roadway. Members who do not comply with this policy are subject to disciplinary action. This gear can be worn on any other type of call, especially during inclement weather.

Anyone who is considering getting turnout gear and would like to see our gear, please feel free to send me a PM and we can set up a time/date or I can send pics to you. I highly recommend First Due Fire Equipment of you need gear.

A few other VACs up here in OC bought EMS turnout gear and I know a few others who are going to buy it sometime this year. I hope that this will catch on with more VACs. It is an important safety issue. You cannot put a price on the safety of your members.

Our local FD and some of the mutual aid FDs who have seen our gear were impressed and there has even been some discussion among them about getting some of this gear for the guys who regulary operate on the Rescue truck.

[Guest]

Found a pair of Jainsville navy blue bunker pants on ebay for 30.00...i may seriously consider getting these after all this talk...its really got me thinking...

[201/65 94]

Here some pics of the gear that Trauma was talking about. Sometime in the near future my corps is going to attempt to get new turnout gear, we currently use blue Janesville structural FF jackets and plastic construction type helmets any safety glasses.

Pic of Chester VAC's new & old

A few angles of the new stuff

Some EMS white hat

[Guest partyrock]

The FDNY EMS gear is NOT structural firefighting gear. It has a flash rating, but not the thermal insulation offered by structural firefighting gear. While on the subject of protection ratings...the FDNY gear meets NFPA 1999 EMS, 1951, and 1992. That covers BBP, flash protection, durability, and chemical splash protection vs acetone, ethyl acetate, haxane, sodium hydroxide, sulfuric acid, and 2 others I can't remember.

[trauma74 111]

Thanks for posting the pics. I forgot I had them. I should have posted them myself. This gear is great and my guys actually enjoy having the extra protection.

[trauma74 111]

FYI to all of the volunteer non-FD based EMS agencies. If you want to get turnout gear for your agency, you are eligible to put in for a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grants. Also, try asking a State Senator, that is how we got ours.

The New Windsor Volunteer Ambulance Corps (Orange County, NY) recently received notification from FEMA that they are getting a grant that includes turnout gear for all their members. If I am not mistake, I think this grant they are getting also includes a vehicle or trailer for Rehab Operations.

I think that New Windsor VAC is getting the same gear we have. The Morning Pride USAR gear.

[Remember585 815]

Are those a bunker-type pants?

Nice gear - any idea what the cost per set is?

[Guest]

Are those a bunker-type pants?

Nice gear - any idea what the cost per set is?

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585, from pictures i've seen of FDNY*EMS in action i do think they are bunker style with the morning pride suspenders. I talked with trauma74 as to how much a set costs and he stated that a full set costs around $1500.00. I couldn't afford that, so i turned to ebay and found a pair of Cairns & Brothers bunkers for 30 dollars. I'll only wear them for MVAs and i figured they are better than straight Blauer streetgear.

[Remember585 815]

Thanks 66. I am curious how much EMS gear costs compared to fire PPE, and as I suspected it's in the same ball park.

[trauma74 111]

585,

I do not know the breakdown in my head right now, but a head to toe set of our USAR gear is around $1300.

Doug