Hey im new here, just wanted to see what helmets people are using and what they think of them. Our vol. dept just got a grant for 25 full new sets of turn out gear, we were glad to hear last night that we will more than likely get leather boots. several of us though would like to get traditional style helmets. The catch though, is all 25 have to be the same, we cant each pick out one, so we all have to agree on one, meaning the cost of leather is way out of question, and i would not be surprised if we got the cheapest ones we found (again). One that I looked at a liked was the Ben franklin II plus, it has EZ flips that are NFPA approved, are these the same as bourkes?
Hi Paul!
I'm a female firefighter in upstate NY. A few of our firefighters & myself included use the Cairns 880 Traditional. Go to www.thefirestore.com. We like them. Hope this is helpful to you?!
I have a Carins 1010 with the regular shield. Carins as what they call the Defender visor which is stored in the helment when not in use. The firestore.com has them for $170 hope this is helpfull. Good luck and stay safe
Our dept. received a grant and the Chief bought Cairns 1010's. For the most part we like them, but mine didn't fit me like it should, and I went back to the modern style helmet we just replaced. It sat too low, even after adjustment, and rode on my ears. I really like my personal helmet, the Bullard UST Traditional. It has a shield, but hindsight being 20/20, really should have gotten goggles. I think bourkes and goggles are best.
Cairns 1010 or 1044 w/ bourkes and ess innerzone II...those are the best in my opinion. a little heavy compared to modern helmets, but looks and protects best
Permalink Reply by Rob on December 13, 2007 at 3:17pm
i would suggest the 1010 with the option of the slide down face shield, most are going with that style, only issue with the slide down face shield is that it is to close to your face to wear glasses.
Permalink Reply by RICK on December 13, 2007 at 3:48pm
Paul my name is Rick and I work for a small dept, in Michigan. We are allowed to purchase our own helmets some of the kinds that are used are the cairns 1010 and the paul conway traditional with full eyeshield(this is the helmet I have) I like it very much and it is very comfortable. One of our guys just recently purchased a big ben and he really likes his helmet. once I decide to get a new one I would probablly go with the big ben or stick with the paul conway. Good luck.
Alright thanks for all the good replies folks, now I have i some helmets to compare. I wonder if it would be possible for our department to get us all the same helmets but allow each of us to choose the type of eye protection we want. I like the idea of bourkes, or ez flips, but it looks like the ben 2 plus is the only one that has NFPA approved ones, which will surely impact the decision of our department. I have only been to a handful of calls so far, and right now all my gear is hand downs (except the bright shiney yellow "probie" helmet) but the first thing I added to my gear after getting it was a pair of saftey glasses in the front pocket. and I actually use them. The face sheild seems inadequite to me for protecting your eyes from anything moving upwards, like sparks and sawdust from the k-12.
I like the look of the traditional style, but does the modern or metro offer any differiences/advantages other than cosmetic?
Permalink Reply by CFD on December 13, 2007 at 5:11pm
the ben 2 plus is top shelf,,,we own 1800 of them here on our dept..see if you can get it with the leather upgraded suspension set,,it makes wearing them a dream.
There in Farnham's FD, we have switch to traditionnal helmet for 3 or 4 years now. We use Cairns 1044 traditionnal helmet. Last helmet that we buy, are the 1044 defender visor ! That's cool but less usufull for the prescription glass user like me... It tight between visor and glasses but very appreciate to do some rescue tool job. No safety glasses need ! For the other it the regular faceshield.
They use the system of Yellow for the FF, Blue for the safety Officer, Red for the Officer (Lt & Capt) & white for the Chief. Today, i've replace my ''regular eagle silk screened'' front holder by the new ''Cairns Brass 3D Carved Beaver Front Holder'' That's COOL... i'm a Canadian FF, so the beaver it's appropriate ! I add some pics !
Problem is Bourkes are NOT approved for eye protection...We got the Cairns 1010 with the defender shields.....and as for boots we got the Throughgood pro kevlar boots...got the best warranty and prices for the packages through Veridian....might want to check them out...Stay safe......Paul