Effective immediately, you are permitted to carry ONE item in your bunker pants pockets. That is NOT one item in each pocket; that is one item PERIOD. This policy has become necessary because many of you can barely move, due to the weight of what is being carried in pockets. If you are caught violating this policy, I will confiscate everything and open a hardware store. Chief.
So; the question is: what would be your ONE thing? One. That's it.
TCSS.
Art
folding spanner, 15ft of rope, lil plastic baggie with medical supplies (gloves, pocket mask, 4x4s) Extrication gloves, pocket knife, and my favorite of all TOILET PAPER!!!
I think I will keep the tp I can get everything else off the truck as I need it.
I'd make em shove it all back in their pockets and tell em, you're training as in real life and I'm willing to put a paycheck down that you're not gonna drop all your tools on the pumper when you get to a fire so load back up!
I really don't carry any tools other that a spare hood usually. I had a nice spanner/combi tool at one point but someone apparently needed it more than I did, either that or it grew legs... (anybody else ever had this problem? Never I'm sure haha)
Going by Art's "new policy" though I believe I'd have to pick a good pair of line pliers or dikes err side cutters, there's been a few times I've had a hose get wrapped in some electrical wire nothing to bad though.
For the sake of argument, I'll assume one "item" may be include a PAIR of gloves and as I'm just a lowly exterior firefighter and an EMT, if I had to keep it to one thing it would be a pair of non-latex gloves.
I almost always grab a pair of gloves either from my car or the rescue as I head to a scene where there will probably be a need for EMS but I always have extras in my gear in case a glove gets ripped, someone else needs it, or whatever.
I THINK ANY FIFEFIGHTER SHOULD BE ABLE TO CARRY WHAT HE OR SHE WANTS TO, I MEAN THEY ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE TO TOTE IT AROUND, BUT IF THEY HAVE POCKETS FULL OF BS THEN I WOULD MAKE UP A LIST AND SAY YOU CAN CARRY ONLY THESE THINGS IN YOUR POCKETS. I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM SO I BOUGHT SOME OF THOSE 5.11 POCKET ORGANIZERS AND THEY REALLY HELPED OUT. MY DEPT ISSUES WORK GLOVES, RESCUE GLOVES, STRUCTURAL GLOVES, LEATHERMAN, LINEMANS PLIERS, 30' OF WEBBING, AND FOLDING SPANNER. THE BELT CANT HOLD BUT SO MUCH.