I was reading and commented on a post about a person who carried all kinds of crap on his helmet and it got me thinking .... What tools do people carry in their bunker or turnout coat pockets ?
I carry in my right bunker pant pocket .. a utility knife, 2 wooden wedges, 4 small plastic wedges (great for plugging sprinkler heads) a pair of klein cable cutters, my right glove
In my left pocket I carry a 6' piece and a 15' of webbing, 2 more wooden wedges, my left glove
My right pocket a pair of pliers, straight screw driver, shove knife, seat belt cutter
My left pocket a phillips screw driver, pair of trauma shears.
I also carry a flashlight with shoulder strap and a straight edge dive knife wire tied to the shoulder strap that rests in the middle of my chest.
I can't tell you the number of times I've stumbled across an MVA in the middle of a house fire. That's why I carry a window punch, seatbelt cutter, small set of box wrenches, assorted slotted and phillips screwdrivers, adjustable wrench, pipe wrench, small cutting torch and CO2 extinguisher. And that's just in one bunker pocket. In the other is a small kitchen sink, because you just never know.
I like to keep it simple .... I have a piece of webbing for carrying tools up a ladder, a Hose Strap for many different uses and then there is a Bail out rope along with wire cutters and a multi purpose rescue Wrench.
On my helmet there is a variety of door wedges and chalk, glow stick and then goggles for extrication.
That's all great information. The way I've always been told and it works pretty good, is for every bottle of sports drink, have a MINIMUM of 2 bottles of water. Which by the time you're finished and back at the station, anything bad in you, you've mostly sweat out already.
I definitely agree with not having the water ice cold. Cool is okay, but ice cold is bad for your system even before you bring rehab into it. They say you should be drinking water at room temperature, it still helps to cool your core as you sweat and sweat is what helps cool you down, but have you ever jumped into freezing cold water? What does your body do? Usually stiffens up quickly, and tries to take a breath. So if you're using ice water, you're doing the same thing with your body. It's like drinking a slurpee too fast.
These are things that I've learned throughout the years. Like I said above, cool water I find is good, but ice water is hard on your body, but if you've been doing it one way for years and never had a problem, well, as the old saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"
I carry in my right bunker pants pocket a small zip up bag containing "zip strip ties", safety glasses, spare pair of earplugs, leatherman wave, hand warmers (only put in when it gets cold), and then I also carry extrication gloves and my hood.
Left pants pocket is 2 combination spanner wrenches, a knife, my gloves, and my firefighter pocket guide
Right coat pocket is another knife, linemans pliers, 10' of webbing pretied into a handcuff knot for application.
Left pocket - extra hood
Inside pocket is nitrile gloves for EMS, trauma shears
I have always been told to carry a knife in your coat pockets and one in your pants pocket because if you get trapped and need to cut your way out and you cant get to your pants pocket you always have a knife in your coat.
Lets see were I work I ride an engine so I carry what is issued to me a spanner and and hose strap. I see no purpous to carry any thing eles. EMS gloves we keep on the engine (the new NFPA helmet holders work real well holding boxes of gloves) Dont carry a window punch a axe or halligon will do. No trauma shears we keep those in the blue bag. No bailout rope our trucks actualy throw more then then one ladder.
I have learned with firefighting gloves on you can be limited on what you can do, so in my gear I have a pair of extrication gloves, fire gloves, nomex, and a spanner that has a seatbelt cutter window punch and gas shut-off tool built into it.
We deal mainly with row homes not many entanglement issues....unless your downtown non of the rowhomes or framers are really above 3 storys and I have faith in our truck companys.