Allowing children to try on fire gear and helmets during PR details.

I have been trying to find documented cases of neck injuries of children from trying on fire helmets during PR details. I see many times where members of my department and other departments allow kids to put on their fire helmets. From a liability standpoint this practice concerns me, but I have not been able to prove this practice can cause injuries. Any help would be appreciated.

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Permalink Reply by Pararescue on January 18, 2011 at 10:25am

Any time we do PR, we let the kiddos hold the helmet. We let them feel how heavy it is. If they ask to put it on, we tell them it's to heavy for them and it could hurt their necks. On large PR assignments we keep our helmets on or in the rig. We'll give them the cheap little "Fire Chief" helmets with the elastic strap and that usually keeps them happy enough. I never thought of a helmet hurting a kiddo until my son at 4 put on a Metro style helmet and his head fell forward and the helmet fell off. Now we have the FDNY style helmets and they are to big, unbalanced and god forbid it fall backwards and the strap chokes them.

Just my 2 cents.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Richards on January 18, 2011 at 4:25pm

any time ive ever let a child try on my helmet i always hold it and slowley lower it on until the parent goes "Wow look at you" or the kid goes "Wow this is heavy" then i just hold it there so the full weight dosent go onto their heads.

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Permalink Reply by James Hawk on January 18, 2011 at 6:13pm

if the chin strap poses an issue of choking should the helmet fall backwards, why not unfasten the chin strap?

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Permalink Reply by Seth Malcolm on January 18, 2011 at 6:29pm

Well I understand the hot teacher lol as for the older kids they get bored easy so letting them try gear on is not a big deal now pre k i can see not putting them in gear.

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Permalink Reply by David Earl Gregory on April 1, 2011 at 10:00am

Don't you ever clean your stuff? If it's that toxic, I'd dispose it or at least try to clean it up a bit.

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Permalink Reply by David Earl Gregory on April 1, 2011 at 10:03am

"I never thought of a helmet hurting a kiddo until my son at 4 put on a Metro style helmet and his head fell forward and the helmet fell off. Now we have the FDNY style helmets and they are to big, unbalanced and god forbid it fall backwards and the strap chokes them."

Makes my earlier point. The gear you folks are forced to wear these days is way too cumbersome and poses risk of injury just wearing the damn stuff. As I said before, if you get hit hard enough to penetrate that leather, that's the least of your worries.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Meadows on April 1, 2011 at 10:14am

I keep my chin strap clipped around the back brim of the helmet until I need it that way it's up out of the way and not getting tangled on things. Quick fastener makes it easy to unsnap and put in place and the postman slide makes it easy to adjust for this. Yes they are heavy so place it on their heads slowly and if they say it's too heavy stop and take it back off. It's not rocket science it's good common sense.

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Permalink Reply by Just Plain Craig Moyer on April 1, 2011 at 12:48pm

When I teach at a shcool I find the smallest teacher and ask her if she would wear my gear. Usually a 5foot 2inch lady is wearing the my gear 6-2 300 lbs and looks funny as hell. the kids love it and still what it looks like on someone. I don't put on helmets because kids may have lice (sorry but its true) but I do let them try on the coats.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Callahan on April 1, 2011 at 9:32pm

As an educator. I disagree. Allowing the kids to put on the gear actually helps them relate to it, and will tend to make them less fearful. This also includes allowing them to put on the mask (not flowing air of course). Allowing them physical contact with the gear will make it, and the firefighter inside it, much less intimidating.

Allowing the kids to put on the gear is very much a part of the educational process.

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Permalink Reply by Peter Yacovone on April 1, 2011 at 9:40pm

You look at our numbers and how help is getting hard to find.them kids will always remember a trip to the fire station..and may come back some day..
Dont take this away from us to..

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Permalink Reply by Greenman on April 1, 2011 at 10:17pm

Just keep a set of clean turnouts for them to try on in my opinion. If the kid is too small or scrawny to wear the helmet without neck injury, support the brim for the 15 seconds they have it on their head so they can feel what a real fire helmet feels like.

Greenman

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Permalink Reply by Spanner 122 on April 1, 2011 at 10:47pm

Completely agree. No kid should wear the gear and especially not the helmet. Just because you can't find any articles on line that state a child has had a neck injury, doesn't mean it hasn't happened.

Side of caution, do not let the children put on your helmet. If anyone feels they must allow kids to put on gear, please make sure it's completely clean.