I was reading and commented on a post about a person who carried all kinds of crap on his helmet and it got me thinking .... What tools do people carry in their bunker or turnout coat pockets ?
I carry in my right bunker pant pocket .. a utility knife, 2 wooden wedges, 4 small plastic wedges (great for plugging sprinkler heads) a pair of klein cable cutters, my right glove
In my left pocket I carry a 6' piece and a 15' of webbing, 2 more wooden wedges, my left glove
My right pocket a pair of pliers, straight screw driver, shove knife, seat belt cutter
My left pocket a phillips screw driver, pair of trauma shears.
I also carry a flashlight with shoulder strap and a straight edge dive knife wire tied to the shoulder strap that rests in the middle of my chest.
I prefer almost nothing in my pockets. I carry a small pry tool and a pair of wire cutters and that is it. I like to be able to move and crawl around freely(as freely as one can when wearing PPE). Considering you should always have tool in hand when you enter a burning structure(or the nozzle, that is the way I learned, I am not saying it is right or wrong) I prefer to be able to crawl up and down or go up and over ladders without any more added weight.
yeah at my dept we are required to at least carry a long peiace of rope our gloves some wedges and because were vol we dont have enough for everyone to carry likr knives seat belt cutters and stuff but a lot of guys buys their own stuff like that to carry and we dont really carry anything on our helmets i went and bought a flashlight mount and flashlight for my helmet
I carry 3 wooden door chocks in the right pocket of my coat and 2 wooden door chocks in my left. I carry wire cutters in my radio pocket. Everything else goes in a bag on the wagon. A lightweight profile is key. The members of the Engine Company rely on speed. It's kind of hard to run when your gear weighs more than you do.
I am also noticing a disturbing trend to this thread. You are not ambulances with legs. There is no need to carry a Level 1 trauma center in your running gear. That is what EMS compartments and ambulances are for.
in the gear i have right now i don't have practical use of my pockets because of the way my gear fits,but-- on my helmet i carry my little fire dude(inside joke), a small wedge on each side, flashlight and 2 nails.(im getting a streamlight band and new lights soon tho :)...)- bunker pockets: right side - right fire glove,nomex hood,(channel-locks soon)---left side:left fire glove, set of ear plugs, multi tool with knife, pliers,screwdrivers etc., firefighter knife with tonto blade,window punch,and saetbelt cutter. coat: left side-left extrication glove, right side:right extrication glove (thats all that will fit in those pockets) and safety glasses in chest pocket,allong with 2hair-tiesand another wedge---my new gear is gonna be a little different tho---...im getting rope an webbing that i can carry with me,another hood,the new channel-lock tool, spanner wrench combi-tool,(more wedges in my pockets),bailout rope with caribbeaner etc., and a fancy LED light one of the guys found someplace in addition to my LED'Sfor my helmet
right coat pockit- ems gloves, window punch, spare flash light, sharpie, saftey glasses.
left coat pockit- ems scissors, adjustable wrench, 3ft of rope.
right pants pockit- structure gloves
letf pants pockit- leather work gloves, folding spanner
and on my radio strap i carry a leatherman.
the way i try and keep things organized is (right to fight) and (left for life)
I put a bottle of water in my coat pocket after every call so I can drink it on the way to the next call. That way I don't start out dehydrated & It is especially good for those 3:00 am calls when my tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth.
Since my last post I have added the "Bowring" fire tool, I havent gotten to use it completely yet but the few things I tried it out on it works very well.