SCBA pack weight

Our packs have aluminum bottles that weigh 21 1/2 pounds. I have been pushing for composite bottles that weigh around 7 to 8 pounds. I believe the weight of the packs are dangerous they cause fatigue. Don't even get my started on working on a ladder they want to pull you over backwards. Crawling the weight wants to roll the pack around you so you must try to keep it balanced in the center of your back. The shoulder straps have to be so tight that it restricts movement. The guys don't want to wear them when they should. Some of the guys that belong to another department that we call for aid from alot will wait on them to show and use there packs.

Everytime it is brought up I get the same old speech on how when they started they had steel bottles and they were so much heavier. So I weighed a steel bottle and they are almost the same. So I get well aluminum bottles are good forever and composite are only good for 15 years. So my statement is if no one wears them what good are they? Then I have been told we don't average 3 to 5 structure fires a year we can't justifiy the cost. I ask about all the car, tractor, combine fires and was told once that they really were not that important on those calls. I just felt like banging my head against the wall.

We have nice trucks, The packs are great themselves radio interface, voice amplification there nice. But why cut corners on the bottles.

Alot of our guys are not young and 11 or 12 more pounds cantilevered on there backs is hard to work with after awhile of working. Its not good to be afraid of your packs and alot of us are. I have tried wearing them loose and tight and nothing helps. I have tried them with composite bottles and they are fine. We have some well fit, paid firefighters that have joined are all volunteer department that say there too much to work in and now will just wait on there rigs to show to pack up.

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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on February 3, 2011 at 9:36pm

you guys are a joke and real firemen see through that shit....

Just like the real firemen saw right through you, correct?

if you want to try and take away from my credentials because im young look up our dept

Your dept has nothing to do with your individual credentials, I could care less what your dept has done, the question is what have you done?

Also since you asked to look up your dept, I did, I looked at a couple pics and guess what I saw.....Yep, COMPOSITE bottles on the SCBAs......kind of hard to talk the smack you are when your own dept has the composite bottles.

Now go away.

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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on February 3, 2011 at 9:36pm

Reply by jacob stern 1 hour ago
bunch of jolly volly hicks
bunch of pussies
lazy shits
dip shits
you prick

you guys are a joke and real firemen see through that shit

Interestingly I visited Local 616's site. It doesn't indicate that it's a combi department. There's no mention of you in the personnel link other than someone that could be your father(?). You indicate - Day Job: im a mechanic and a tow truck driver for now Doesn't sound like a '...real fireman.." to me. Sounds like maybe you're a jolly vollie yourself.

So, follow long here, it's rather perplexing that while on the one hand you're a jolly vollie yourself, on the other hand you come in and start railing against all the other vollies. And THIS with an unbelievable almost 2 years of experience. I bow to your expertise, wisdom and insights you've gained in your 2/20 years of experience.

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Permalink Reply by Norm Tindell on February 3, 2011 at 9:38pm

Ditto

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Permalink Reply by Norm Tindell on February 3, 2011 at 9:47pm

Well, Jack, I will sleep better tonight. Web Team just removed the Dunkirk Kid entirely. High five!

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Permalink Reply by John Dobson on February 3, 2011 at 9:53pm

Good night guys and thank you web team.

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Permalink Reply by Norm Tindell on February 3, 2011 at 9:57pm

Big John, Sorry your discussion got temporarily derailed. Use the health and safety angle in your grant writing and good luck. It won't be long before you guys will have shiny new bottles.

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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on February 3, 2011 at 10:00pm

I think his mouth said giddy up before his brain was saddled.

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Permalink Reply by Derek R. on February 3, 2011 at 10:13pm

That kid's going to hurt someone.

We are using the aluminum "forever" cylinders. And it's the cost and lifespan issue that prevents us from going to composite. I highly doubt that the allocation of our grant money will soon include new composite bottles, so it seems we will be functioning with the aluminum for a while longer.
Once, just one time, my partner and I came out for a bottle change, and my replacement was a composite. I have to say, that while I did find a difference in the weight, it wasn't that significant to me at the time. Or maybe I was more focussed on my tasks to give thought to the weight of the pack. Never had another composite on since.

I have no experience writing for grants, but I think the idea of health and safety combined with compatibility with other dept.s who provide MA, might secure it for you.

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Permalink Reply by Marvin Hawk on February 3, 2011 at 11:08pm

John
This is not aimed at your post but after reading through these, it seemed the best place to "tag" my 2 cents. I was like a lot of little boys who grow up wanting to be policemen one day and firefighters the next. In my case I have been able to do both Law Enforcement and Firefighting. The Firefighting side was encouraged by years of fire prevention week work done by Air Force Firefighters at Torrejon Air Force Base in Madrid Spain and the Firefighters of the Fire Department from Westfield New York.

By now you are asking what does this have to do with anything. It just happens that Westfield is just down the road from Dunkirk NY and more than anything else I would hate to see all of Chautauqua County Firefighters painted with the broad brush of being "Jolly Volly Hicks" to quote Jacob. Some of the hardest firefighting I have seen done, was done by those brothers and other Chautauqua Co. Departments.

As to Jacob Stern. I can't wait to see what name you try to use to sneak back in here with........ We'll be waiting

To John Dobson.
I wish I could give you some most excellent advice. But my department is in the same boat we have found that there are just not enough calls to justify going to the composite bottles till the life expectancy of the bottles gets a whole lot longer. I will encourage you to keep up the good fight. In this day and age it seems that there are often more people who are more willing to just sit in the background and put up and shut up, than stand for what they strongly believe in. As to your grant writing have you thought about going after in as a regional group application with other neighboring departments that may need /want to replace bottles?

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Permalink Reply by John Dobson on February 3, 2011 at 11:44pm

Thanks penrhyn, It seems I am fighting alot of battles and just stiring crap.

I have fought with the town board in my small town about illegal trash burning I know of four houses damaged and one destroyed plus two cars over people burning trash. All in five years. Theres only 60 or 80 homes in my town. They wrote my chief and told him to make me post an apoligy in the paper because I made them look bad. He stated I was a member of the department but not owned by the department. I never said I was speaking on behalf of our department but if I were he would be on my side. So they wrote the district that went no where for them.
It just seem so easy to try to do right thing but no one cares or if they do they stay too quite. My guys complain about the the air bottles so I am trying as hard as I can to do something about it.