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Super Polished Boots = Professional image
My Fire department back home everyone had some sort of black boots, most common was bates w/ the side zipper. Everyone polished them and some were amazing while some were ok. We wore these black boots on medicals because it went w/ the uniform. Does anyone else polish there boots for a better professional image?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by SMOKEnPipesJim on
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After reading about the Cleveland Drum Major stupidity, this popped up, so I figured whoa .. anyway I wear Black sneakers at the station .. For my class a's I wear dress oxfords which are uniform shoes faras feeling the need to spit shine em, nah no more then properly salute The president Some guys wave and wink, I wear sneakers ..Its not like spit shine makes me get to the rig any faster, I am usually first to the rig anyway dont need any aerodynamics ...hahaha
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Permalink Reply by Mike Schlags (Captain Busy) Retd on
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you sound like a very practical man, someone who I'd find enjoyable to work with and someone who I would never underestimate their "sneakyness", hoorah brother and enjoy the sneakers!
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Permalink Reply by Ronald Williams II on
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Well, it doesnt matter to me. there work boots. and if they get scuffed or ruined you just do it all again
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Wildland Boot / Before:
Wildland Boot / After:
b>Station Boot / Before:
Structure Boot / After:
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Thanks Michael, If I worked in a locale like yours with a "real" wildlands issue built in, I'd be wearing something a bit better then sneakers around..:) But In the inner city, we don' t have too manyof those concerns, we had a couple of "Marsh reed" fires last year, But Iwasnt going walking around in low tide much..come to think of itm over the last couple years My company has prolly done more vegitation fires then the rest of the city, between the brush pile behind the high school,/and boys and girls club, The median wood chips at every traffic light (lol, Damn smokers) . But I'm most likely one of the only City firefighters in Connecticut that has a white's catalog...:) ON my Warringtons and everything else, leather I actually use "SNO seal" which is a beeswax based reconditioner and waterproofer... apply it liberally a couple times a year especially to your stitching you will never have wet feet!! Apply it to your "after" as is and it will bring back the before..obviously occasionallyyou might need the color added, sure so occasionally do things normally and No I have never had My toes meltdown because if it... :)
NO stink oil!! I bet it would do a fine job on the white's ruff texture too, Maybe not making them parade boots, but..
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Permalink Reply by Tony P on
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A super shine on boots, 'spit polished' as we call it, is for parade purposes. Just like in the Forces. Work boots should be clean and treated. We're only issued one pair of boots, all-purpose boots that could be made to take a glass-like shine, but what's the use of spending all that time on work boots?
So, the original question. Super-polished boots equals professional image. I'd say yes. To the public especially (who probably never polish their own shoes but notice people in uniform). But I only wear uniform about once a month. The public mainly see me in PPE! So clean boots, because the act of cleaning them should be making them water resistant, is the way to do it. My boots look like Mike Schlags wildland boots in 'before' mode, I don't use polish, I use a leather treatment.
At the moment, I only have one pair of PPE over-pants - they get used for everything just like the boots. And they don't get washed anywhere near as often as I'd like to - I much prefer clean PPE. (I'm supposed to be getting two sets of new structural PPE on Monday, clean gear here I come!) PPE looks professional. And this also means a clean helmet! A dirty helmet doesn't make you look like a good firefighter, it makes you look like a lazy slob.
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Permalink Reply by Eric on
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The ole spit shine is the only way to go, I agree with you gents. I would like to add that it adds a sense of pride to come in with boots that you shined yourself, that look damn good.
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Permalink Reply by Shareef Abdu Nur on
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When I was in the military, we put a lot of time and effort into shining our boots. It was just a part of our culture. But now, if I have the time, I'll lay a little polish on them just to look somewhat presentable. I'm more concerned with them being clean then shiny.
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Permalink Reply by PFC Harmon on
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I shine mine but they are a pair of black Rocky's I have had for 3 years and wear them on backpacking trips as well as rescues. I think they look better and the great thing about it is that most of us will have polished boots and uniforms and some yokel will show up in raggly jeans and tennis shoes.
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Well no offense sir, but you left your bottle of "insta-shine" laying in the back, that is just a lazy man's way of "polishing" boots, if you can even call it that. here is a picture of my boots... Don't get me wrong, they take abuse but after you get a great base coat, a high gloss shine like mine is easy to keep.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Montpetit on
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Many, many years ago when I was in the 82nd...it was expected that #1 you wore "Jump Boots" (Corcoran) and #2..they were spit shined....if you couldn't see your face in them they weren't shined right....it wasn't easy and it sure wasn't quick...but the pride that you got in wearing them when some BS officer came by with his "hershey bar" shined boots made it all worth it....and back then we starched our fatigues so stiff that sometimes a seam would rip just putting them on.....LOL Paul
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