Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ken Smith on January 23, 2010 at 10:52pm

I would say your answer lays in the TPP and THL characteristics of the gear, the type and thickness of the liner your gear is and the weight and what material (nomex, pbi, milennia etc.) the gear is made of. The only other factor is the ole wives tail that black has a tendency to hold heat unlike other colors. If your interested in turnout gear thats not as hot as traditional turnouts take a look at http://www.fireres7cuesolutions.com/

Permalink Reply by Melvin Cutright, Jr. on January 24, 2010 at 1:33am

We had black gear but we switched to tan because it is cooler and we like it better

Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on January 24, 2010 at 1:46am

Ken,
Sorry, it's not an "ole wives tail" (tale), the color black, by its nature, absorbs all the 'colors' of the spectrum and so does in fact heat up more than lighter colors. This can be seen in the temperature difference between a concrete sidewalk and blacktop road/driveway. As for turnout gear, the color is irrelevant in terms of heat absorption.

Permalink Reply by Ron Ayotte on January 24, 2010 at 10:27am

Hey... you women are just as bad, wondering what kind of body is being hidden by the gear!

In your minds.. is he beefcake or beef lard....

For the record.. I'm "in between" ; ^ )

Permalink Reply by Ken Smith on January 24, 2010 at 10:51am

Thanks Jack, I didnt mean it in the context that it was a "tale" as much as it was an old "fact" thats been around for many years. Just worded it incorrectly, but thanks for setting the record straight. Stay safe.

Permalink Reply by Eng Co 4 on January 24, 2010 at 11:13am

After a long exhaustive highly scientific study of all of the
different colors of gear, I have found that women find the
black gear to be the hottest! Sort of an FDNY/"Rescue Me"
thing going on.

Black gear is definitely a "chick magnet". Followed by white
gear which is high in reflective property which enhances the
Gleam on my near perfect smile and square jaw line as I am
projecting my authority and leadership on the scene.

This is the 21st Century and women are no longer fascinated
with "pastels" or "soft harmonious" colors such as sunshine
yellow, Florida orange, California mojave tan or even EMS blue.

They, in their new position as equals in the workplace, definitely
are attracted to and find "hot" the dirty, gritty BLACK and the
clean, pure WHITE as the most "hot".

Pastels are so "yesterday"! ..... You have to be "masculine" and
"heroic"!

BTW...Tests have shown that Chuck Norris's tears will clean gear
of any and all toxins and also make you invincible in a fire.

Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on January 24, 2010 at 11:42am

Black gear has a higher beefcake rating. Women prefer us in the black gear for the same reasons men like their women in black undergarments.
Like my friend Ron, I am lardcake, but chicks still dig me.
Black vs tan gear. It's in the eyes of the beholders. Fire doesn't know the difference. We have tan with orange reflective striping. Easier to see dirt and contamination. Tears seem to show up better on the tan. WE believe that it is more visible at night when working a scene. And yes; the men and women want to believe that the tan is cooler. There is no scientific basis for this however.
Go with whatever moves you.
Anyone want to see my lardcake?
:-)

Permalink Reply by Greg Gilman on January 24, 2010 at 11:47am

i don't think it matters what color your bunkers are when its hot outside it sucks to put them on on our dept we have globe g xtreme and its black and unless its really hot outside its not to bad

Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on January 24, 2010 at 11:51am

Eng Co 4,
You failed to mention the single most important factor of black turnout gear....as everyone knows, black is slenderizing.

Permalink Reply by DAVID BROWN on January 24, 2010 at 11:57am

I'am not out there to impress anybody as the chief of a small department with a small budget i was trying to see if the black was hotter than tan gear i wore black gear back in the late 80's but since then we used tan.I had a salesman tell me he could do better price wise on black verses tan.But we live in south georgia and if the black 10 or 20 degrees hotter than we don't want it and have to get the most for my money .

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page