Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by HeidiLou on October 26, 2008 at 12:39am

Ric-ster,
Normally I wear a nomex wildland jacket, nomex wildland pants, wildland gloves, full brim hat with nomex shroud, goggles, and 8 inch leather boots. I also have several different respiratory gadgets. However, if it gets below 75 degrees, which I consider to be WINTER weather, I will wear my bunker coat just for the additional warmth. I will take my wildland jacket along as well, just in case I get too warm. We get most of our wildland gear with the help of a grant from the Texas Forestry Service. HeidiLou

Permalink Reply by Terry Rumpff on December 24, 2008 at 9:41am

Out here in West Texas the main problem is training, or I should say the lack of training! The majority of the Departments in this region are volunteer, and most of them still believe that all you have to do is "put the wet stuff on the red stuff" and that is the extent of their training. I'm not saying this to hurt anyone's feelings, but I know that it is only a matter of time untill someone gets hurt.In the ten years that I have been here, I have worked with my Department to change their attitudes towards wildland firefighting and though tactics have changed,and PPE is being used, the attitude toward fire shelters is that they are not needed here, and they are too expensive to get. As for Howard County , it is changing, slowly.

Permalink Reply by Jason Koontz on February 18, 2009 at 12:21pm

So far everywhere I've been is not a matter of vollies vs paid guys. Honestly, the union structure guys seem to be the hardest to get into gear, because its "just a brush fire". I love pulling vollies up as contract firefighters, they'll do anything. As for east coast vs west, I don't know. But if you look at the rigs they drive on the east coast vs the ones we run out here in the west, theres a huge difference. They all seem to be big old military trucks with exo-skeletons in the east, while ours are just toy boxes. Seems to be more of a structural firefighter mind set, big trucks and big water, in the east. They don't seem to like to walk anywhere, so they overbuild their rigs to drive thru trees. Its definitely an interesting approach, and I hate to say it, but their trucks are pretty cool, but I'm not sure they'd do very well out here. But the same mind set goes with PPE. If they don't need full bunkers and air, it can't be a real fire, right? we'll just drive our rigs in, hose the fire, and go home.

Permalink Reply by PFC Harmon on April 3, 2009 at 11:07pm

I'm on a small vollie department in Tn. You are right about most vollies never seeing a fire shelter, most of them have never seen forestry gear. But I have seen member of my department respond to a forest fire in full bunker gear including nomex hood and structural gloves! I have full forestry gear including a line pack with shelter that goes everywhere I go that was issued to em by the KY division of forestry after two of my friends were killed in a grass fire. These guys need to learn the wild land fires are serious.

Permalink Reply by Ron Hood on September 8, 2009 at 3:25pm

I agree with you, It is seen quiet often, like bill said, I think alot of it has to do with just not being trained in that field. I am from Az, and everyone here wears proper PPE, plus its so damn HOT here, I dont know why you would wanna wear bunkers and what not. Now, I can say that in the past I have fought a roadside brushfire in my bunkers, but they are secondary to vehicle fires, and I am not about to fight a vehicle fire in my wildland PPE, YIKES!!! So, when thats taken care of I usually do brush component from the ROADWAY only in my turnouts, then when I have a moment I will switch. I feel it is still exceptable in that sense though. What do you think? And just so we are all clear, brush does have priority, its sounds like it doesnt in this but i am talking about during mop-up.

Permalink Reply by Norm Tindell on February 7, 2010 at 10:32am

I agree with Ric. Many departments don't have wildland gear or even training. Hopefully they will go to the trouble to get a grant from the feds or the state forst service. We have come "into the 21st century" just in the last 5 years. In rural Texas if you wear bunkers in the wildland environment in the summer you die! We also do most of our IA from the side of a moving brush truck. We usually don't get off the truck at all. To all who do not have the wildland gear and the training: Please do yourselves a big favor and get it.
Then at least send one person to a forest service S-130/S-190 (basic wildland fire behavior and fire fighting) class in your area and let him pass the word along to everyone else!
I know we're probably preaching to the choir in our own group. At some point let's take this outside the group.

Permalink Reply by charles h clapper III on February 20, 2010 at 2:30am

lol i was on a fed. fire in the gila, NM doing structure protection when safety officer comes up and talksabout i wannna see full ppe... standing right beside him was one of his own men wearing no ppe sleaves rolled up and no shelter.....go figure!!!!!

Permalink Reply by Peter Dybing on May 5, 2010 at 2:46pm

YEp well said

Permalink Reply by Peter Dybing on May 5, 2010 at 2:51pm

Dennis,

Wild land PPE is a minimum, everyone has stories about how it "was" done in the past, these stories lead young firefighters to ignore PPE standards and will contribute to deaths in the future. We are a better and safer service now because of standards.

Permalink Reply by Brett Walker on May 24, 2010 at 2:05pm

In Alberta, we wear a yellow Nomex coverall, steel-toes, gloves (except when coldtrailing), hardhat, safety goggles, earplugs and chaps for chainsawing. And we are disciplined if we are working without them.

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