Turnout Gear

[Guest]

When (Department name removed for rule compliance) responded to my office building at 10:56 on 2/28/05, I noticed a serious flaw. The firefighters who went in were wearing literally no turnout gear. No bunker pants, turnout coat, helmet, boots, forget about the SCBAs or tools....and sadly....the Chief was guilty of this too.

They were also filling out roll calls before anyone went in as well.

The saddest part was that my co-workers were saying things like "Oh..they must be volunteers," and "thank God my life doesn't depend on them."

These people make the rest of us PROUD VOLUNTEERS (who go in with full gear and SCBAs, even when it turns out to be burnt popcorn) look unprofessional.

Something needs to be done about these bad apples.

If not for their safety, then the safety of the people that they may someday have to rescue...hopefully they won't be caught offguard.

[LCFD968 10]

What did they come for?

[Guest]

commercial alarm on the 5th floor

[E64PCFD2044 1]

i get questioned as to where my gear is if I don't have it on before I get into the rig.

[LCFD968 10]

Its funny sometimes when you watch from the other side. I have sat watched another department at a car fire (fully engulfed) with no SCBA. To them its normal until some gets hurt.

[mstrang1 213]

L31 states:

"No bunker pants, turnout coat, helmet, boots, forget about the SCBAs or tools....and sadly....the Chief was guilty of this too."

As stated in earlier forum threads, a Chief is supposed to stay outside of the building, or wherever a command post is located. Especially in early parts of an alarm, or fire, this is essential. A Chief cannot properly do his job while investigating an alarm or odor, or whatever. If he is at the command post like he/she should be, the only turnout gear he would need would be for environmental protection or identification purposes (ie white helmet).

[DMA327 12]

No Matter what the alarm is you should always be geared up ready to go. Minutes are wasted when those who pull up on a job are not geared up thinking it was gonna be nothing.

It's looks a lot more professional and more importantly it's for your own safety!!!

Always expect the worst but hope for the best

[x648eng119 2]

Regardless of who you are, (Chief, firefighter, dirver, fire-police) or what the nature of the alarm is, EVERYBODY should have on propper turnout gear. Personal saftey is number 1, but also, god forbid someone does get hurt, what are the insurance companies going to think when they ask the question, whas he wearing full PPE, and the answer is NO? Not good for business. It doesn't take a lot of extra effort or time to put turnout gear. Do it, and save yourself headaches, and while your at it, maybe save the image of the volunteers.

[x635 4,066]

How embarrasing for the profession!!!

Sadly, this turnout gear incident extends beyond just commercial alarms. I have seen speficic departments that don't wear full PPE to car fires and several other incident types as well either. These departments have been captured at incidents, such as operating at a multi-vehicle MVA on an interstate, in blue jeans and a T-shirt. It's not only an image thing, it's safety as well.

This also shows complacency that some departments exhibit due to the large number of false commercial alarms. This is a dangerouss trap to fall into.

It can't hurt to put on an SCBA every time either. In fact, it is a benefit......practice makes perfect....well, almost.

Do the job correctly and completly, no excuses, or don't do it at all.

L31TruckiePCFD, I strongly hope you consider writing a letter to the chiefs of this department...unfortunelty, I think it will go into the "we know what we are doing thanks" bin.

[SteveOFD 176]

Here's another poor example. About two years ago on a meeting night we get dispatched to a "wall fire". Nine guys in the rig and only one "Firefighter" suits up. It turns out to be an electrical dimmer switch burning in the interior wall. The TIC showed a plume almost to the ceiling.

NFPA 1720, the "Volunteer FD Standard" states "(u)pon assembling the neccessary resources at the emergency scene, the fire department shall have the capability to safely initiate an initial attack within two minutes 90 percent of the time." Once on scene how long would it take your Firefigthers to put on all of their PPE?

[Guest]

There is one word to explain the lack of gearing up,

LAZY!!!! :yikes: ](*,)

[Guest]

The issue was orrigionally brought up about a fire dept responding to an alarm activation on the 5th floor. how many floors were in this building? was it considered a high rise? If so then command should have been set up in the lobby. So if your setting up command in the lobby then the chief officer/incident commander should have complete ppe on

[Guest rreimund]

I agree that there's definitely a lack of compliance in this department, but this call described in the original post seems to be a gross oversight on the part of the FFs involved.

That said, to play devil's advocate, let's say that even before any rigs leave their quarters the occupants of said building call and identify the alarm as a false alarm, perhaps set off by workers in the building or some such thing. But that department's SOG's require full response to confirm, obviously 10-20. Would the same apply in such a scenario, given they received word from the occupants that it was nothing.

I think they still should have geared up as a matter of habit, but that's just me.. wondering how you would all view that scenario, if any different or not.

[ny10570 745]

Its simple...If you get on a rig you wear your gear. Luckily this is not much of an issue with my company. 99% of the time guys are wearing bunker gear. SCBA isn't quite as good, but the newer guys all get the point and are doing things the right way. Is there anyone on this board that believes there are reasons to not put on their gear??? It seems like this thread is almost preaching to the choir.

[DOC22 1]

No Matter what the alarm is you should always be geared up ready to go.  Minutes are wasted when those who pull up on a job are not geared up thinking it was gonna be nothing.  

It's looks a lot more professional and more importantly it's for your own safety!!!

Always expect the worst but hope for the best

AMEN, brother!!!!!!!

[firemn23 8]

I believe this is an issue because the said department is not required to respond on the rigs.

[Guest aussiegeorge]

we over here in sydney australia have a policy that full ppe is to be worn unless the incident commander states otherwise,and that would in most cases be only in the final stageds of overhaul where you may be able to take the heavy turnout jacket off,we also have 2 sets of turnout gear 1 for structure fires and the like and another for rescue incidents ,brush fires etc(the turnout jacket and helmets are lighter weight)and both have to be carried with you on the rigs at all times,even the firefighters who man the field comms unit have to don turnout gear if they leave it on a fire ground.I was assigned to a unit that ran thousands of automatic alarm call a year but hey only 1 had to be the real thing and if you didn't have full ppe on you where up sh^t creek.

cheers from down under

[Guest]

aussiegeorge, great post, and welcome to EMTBravo. It's great to hear opinions from FFs outside of the U.S. and Australia?? Awesome!!!

Bravo is slowly going global..... =D> =D>