Firefighter OK after hot rod hits helmet

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A firefighter is counting his luck after a red-hot steel rod was fired into his helmet from an exploding vehicle, local media reported Thursday.

The steel rod was traveling at such speed it punched a hole through a steel door before hitting 41-year-old Gary Wright's Kevlar fire helmet, The New Zealand Herald said.

Wright was getting ready to fight a blaze earlier this month that had engulfed a garage full of vehicles in a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand's biggest city, when the steel rod fired out of an exploding van 62 feet away.

"I had only just put my BA (breathing apparatus) set on and put my helmet back on," he said.

"I had my head forward and was adjusting the headband on the helmet ... the next minute, whack.... It was a pretty hard whack, it knocked my head back," Wright was quoted as telling the paper.

"It felt like someone coming up and giving me a really good clip around my head ... but I had a glance around and no one was there. Then this glowing thing (the rod) attracted my attention at my feet," Wright said.

Waitakere City Fire Chief Bill Ellis said the rod went through the outer Kevlar layer of the helmet but had been stopped by a protective inner layer.

Wright was left with a headache and some pain on the left side of his head where his helmet strap was pulled back by the force of the rod's impact.

"It wasn't until on the way home that I saw the hole (in the helmet) and told the boss," he said.

"I think most people think I was pretty lucky," said Wright, an 11-year fire fighting veteran.

© 2007 The Associated Press.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/ODD...EMPLATE=DEFAULT

[ajsbear 11]

Didn't we just have discussion on FULL PPE at an MVA?

[RWC130 594]

Kevlar Fire Helmet?

[firemoose827 324]

Didn't we just have discussion on FULL PPE at an MVA?

Yes we did, and a lot of guys still think its ok to not wear all of it, amazing isnt it? "Always Wear Full PPE" should be the new heading for EMTBravo!!!!!!

STAY SAFE

Moose

[Guest partyrock]

Its all about the details gents. Car accidents vs car fires.

[firemoose827 324]

Its all about the details gents. Car accidents vs car fires.

I understand your opinion, but I believe they are both the same...in either one you need to look out for loaded bumpers, shocks and struts firing off, pneumatic pistons for hatchbacks, hi pressure hydraulic hose, flammable liquids, flammable metals, alternative fuel cells, not to mention whatever illegal products they may be carrying in the trunk/storage area...the simple point Im trying to make here brother for our younger brothers and sisters is you never know what you will encounter, be prepared for anything. No one, I dont give a rats a$$ how long youve been a firefighter or what agency you belong too, no one can predict what will happen at every fire all the time. Take this guy in the above post, 11 years experience and he had no idea what it was that hit him, or where it came from. " A garage FULL of vehicles"? Shouldnt that give us all a clue? Complacency damn near killed him, and I am merely expressing my concern for my brothers and sisters out there.

Hey, also, were you at the steam incident last night in the city? I fully expected someone to post about it this morning but there was nothing. Just curious to see what happened. Also, what company do you work in partyrock?

Stay safe

Moose