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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on January 2, 2011 at 11:24am

Mike, great point. Makes one wonder if the obsession with the color of gear, engines, helmets and lights is only masking an obsession with skin color?

Or maybe it's more of a substitution, 'I'm better than you because the color of my _______ is _______.

P.s. I'd wear whatever color turn out gear I'm issued, but I would have an issue wearing gear that reflects a specific charity or cause, we should be color blind, gender neutral and strictly mission oriented. Leave the causes for 'celebrities' and 'athletes.'

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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on January 2, 2011 at 1:47pm

Jack, that question could really confuse some people.

For example, I've worn the following gear colors/ensembles in the last 36 years...

Red/White rubber coat with storm king boots
Black canvas duck coat with storm king boots
Yellow nomex coat with storm king boots
Yellow rubberized nomex coat with black nomex bunker pants
Yellow nomex coat/pants
Orange nomex forestry jumpsuit
Orange canvas duck coat with storm king boots
Red nomex coat/pants
Red nomex coat with navy blue nomex station uniform pants (1980's truckie wear)
White nomex coat/pants
Tan PBI coat/pants
Golden tan PBI blend coat/pants
Yellow nomex coat/pants
Yellow nomex coat/pants (only time I've had the same gear colors twice in a row)
Yellow nomex coat/pants with a Level B hazmat suit liner
Royal blue nomex coat over navy blue nomex jumpsuit (1990's extrication wear)
Yellow nomex coat/pants
Royal blue nomex coat/pants
Navy blue nomex coat/pants
Brown PBI blend coat/pants
Tan FR cotton extrication coat
Tan PBI blend coat/pants
...and counting...

Somehow I don't think that equals a skin color obsession, at least for me.

I don't see anyone being obsessed with royal blue or navy blue skin, but the world is a big place...

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Permalink Reply by steven on January 2, 2011 at 2:29pm

im with a voluenteer department we have lite tan, dark tan, and yellow. when you join you try some stuff on what fits you get

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Permalink Reply by Lt. Jeremiah Kirk on January 2, 2011 at 2:57pm

no we dont need the same color turnout gear it is easier on the fire ground to determine who belongs to what company or dept. even with the ics being ran properly as a line officer it helps me to be able to keep track of my crew also

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Permalink Reply by David Earl Gregory on January 2, 2011 at 3:00pm

While I tend to agree with you on "causes", for many years firefighters have been a part of "Jerry's Kids" and taken donations for that cause, so what's the difference? I also fail to see/grasp any correlation to "skin" color in this discussion. Can we not have a discussion in this country anymore about anything without skin color being brought into it??

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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on January 2, 2011 at 3:16pm

Ben;

Your listing of the various color combinations you've worn are just that, a list. Certainly it is in no way an obsession. Although the fact that after all of these years you can recite the color combo's might be an area of concern. ;)

And I suspect you suspect I was subtly trying to make a point that if some people are so 'obsessed' with the color of _________ that they may also be obsessed when it comes to skin color. Not saying it's true, just throwing it out there.

David,

Please re-read what I wrote. My comment was not at all what you (seemingly) think it was.

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Permalink Reply by David Earl Gregory on January 2, 2011 at 4:15pm

((David,
Please re-read what I wrote. My comment was not at all what you (seemingly) think it was.))

:-) Looks like a couple of "armchair psychologists" here trying to analyze the underlying meanings huh? ROTFL

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