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

 

Photo Credit: Sarah Whitney Property of FETC Services, all rights reserved. No use without written permission from FETC and/or the photographer.

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FETC, is this a garden path you are leading us down? WP thinks it is more technical, I still say it is the gloves if everything is worn correctly. Come on you have had your foreplay!

woo hoo.....I AM inteli....intellagi,,,,intelagin.......smarter than a first grader.
I hate is when the east coast guys are right, it burns me up!
There is a test and standard for compression and relative heat for the end user. Some gear manufacturers have engineered a factor with extra protection in compression areas and some "may have" not, especially if you are wearing older gear.

That figure is also relative to how tight you like to wear your straps and how much other stuff you have hanging off your gear. The standard also uses 40 lbs so you need to have a fairly new lightweight airpack on your back.
Still looking at the gear's material itself Greg. Your still in the game bro!
Regardless of structural or proximity, there is a common issue.

This guy was ON FIRE during a training evolution with me, 3rd guy behind the nozzleman.

No direct flame contact....
So are you looking for the material used for reflecting radiant heat? Don't know what it's actually called.
Nope I said structural and proximity have the same issue. Don't look at the obvious.
SCBA Mask, regulator, Intergrated PASS
Derek, I said structural and proximity have the same issue. Don't look at the obvious meaning the material, think outside the box.

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