Thermal Insult Recognition Training

How many of you here are certified firefighters but have still yet to be taught how to identify the limitations of your PPE? With gear becoming better and better each year, do you or your Chief really know what is the weakest link in your personal protective ensemble?

This past weekend I hosted a class on Thermal Insult Recognition. We were able in a controlled environment, to NOT only tell you about "heat" like many classes but show/feel thermal insult recognition while wearing some of the best gear on the market.

All firefighters who go "interior" deserve to be trained in thermal insult recognition. Otherwise... what are they going to base their decision making process from? Is it when the low air alarm rings.... or is it when they exinguish that small or simulated fire with very little heat in a firefighter 1 class? Thing is most newly certified firefighters are so eager to be banged out to a job, do you feel comfortable with there training, experience or exposure to the elements? When the non-controlled fire rapidly escalates to untenable for the trained firefighter.... are they going to react positively or wait just a few extra seconds and we are hanging the bunting...

Firefighters need a systematic approach to sizing up the interior conditions, what I like to call the

Interior Benchmarking model. (FETC exclusive training, which will be offered at FDIC-2011)

Training firefighters for real world situations is what it is all about...

So again I ask, when your gear is at 100% heat saturation, what is the weakest link on your firefighters PPE?

Take Care and Stay Safe Brothers...

FETC

www.fetcservices.com

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Permalink Reply by FETC on October 27, 2010 at 7:51am

You are correct Ben. The TPP, THL tests for structural, proximity and fire entry PPE are greatly different. All have the capability to make entry into an IDLH, otherwise if you followed the label's definition, all fire departments would only provide exterior only suppression services.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Brooks on October 27, 2010 at 12:20pm

Before posting, I read through this entire discussion. Good thoughts and exchanges here. I was hoping the SCBA was mentioned and it was. As was the glove issue. What I did not see, is the choice of hoods. That being said, as a dealer, I will only sell what I would use myself. I will not sell the Carbon hoods. They completely take away one more sense of heat that we need to have. The gear is better and the guys get deeper. Be very careful with your choices of gear and the combinations. I you get the best thermal rating on every piece of gear that there is, you will actually be so well protected, it is dangerous. A lot of careful thought needs to be done on the entire ensemble that you wear.

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Permalink Reply by FETC on February 18, 2011 at 10:58pm

Jason great points brother. And I know you understand these points but I will add for others that alot of firefighters think that "gear is gear". But in reality, the choice of materials for construction of firefighter gear dramatically changes each "individual" PPE's capabilities and/or limitations.

The NFPA standard has a minimum rating and all new gear has to "at least" meet those ratings, but if firefighters or fire chief's "custom order" specific materials, that rating may be completely different than another department's gear. (even from the same manufacturer)

TCSS
FETC