A Prayer for Our Firefighters

Thank you Lord
for those whose Hearts,
Are generous and BraveSo generous,
they risk their Lives,
That others may be Saved

Thank you Lord for those who Choose,
To serve those in DistressPlease grant them Strength,
exactly When,
They think there’s nothing Left

Thank you Lord for those who Know,
That life is short and
DearMay you always help them Be,
The Masters of their Fear

Thank you Lord for those who Risk,
To feel another’s PainHelp them,
as they daily Face,
What most would deem Insane

Thank you Lord for those who Ask,
To live a “Bigger Life”
Embracing all the lessons learned,
In Struggle and in Strife

May they always have the Will,
To choose the “Higher Road”
Grant strength to those who choose to Share,
Their Journey and their Load

And may the rest of us be Grateful,
That our world is made much Brighter,
Illuminated by the Souls,
Of Our Firefighters

Author: Ann Fairbanks

Fire Fighters Bunker Gear THL and TPP Test

Both THL and TPP tests are taken on all 3-layers of the garment together. You can’t take the values of one layer and add it to the values of another layer to get the result. 1 + 1 does not equal 2 in this case. All layers are tested together and sometimes provide a synergistic effect where 1 + 1 = 3.
Let’s review and simplify:


THL (Total Heat Loss) - In short, breathability. Lighter/thinner garment = higher THL (Comfort).
TPP (Thermal Protective Performance) - Thermal Insulation.Thicker/Heavier = higher TPP (Protection).
There is, in most systems, an important inverse relationship between TPP and THL. The optimum values for each are needed to achieve both comfort and protection. But generally as TPP goes up THL comes down, and as THL goes up TPP comes down, so the goal is to balance the 2 values.


A light weight, thin garment with high THL values may be comfortable but won’t offer you as much thermal protection. A thicker, heavier garment with high TPP values may protect you but the heat stress and weight can be fatal. Hence the balancing act: the need to determine the level of protection required while maintaining a workable system. Keep in mind that the Moisture Barrier plays a crucial role in the breathability and THL value of the garment.
The following chart is a guide when considering the TPP and THL factors in your next garment.

TPP / THL COMPARISON CHART


Total Heat Loss ValuesThe numbers listed below are the values obtained by Underwriters Laboratories in the course of composite certification, and to the best of our knowledge are accurate representations of the various systems. It is important to note, however, that since fabrics will vary in weight and mass, both of which are critical to the final numbers generated by these two very sophisticated tests, the values are not absolute and will definitely change from test to test.

The important thing to remember is that any composite using the same 3 material layers will fall within a reasonable range, regardless of garment manufacturer, and any difference in values reported is simply a function of the particular lots of materials that make up the composite at the time of testing. These numbers should be considered relative guidelines for helping you chose the materials that make up your garments.

Basic Inspection Guidelines for Protective Clothing

Basic Inspection Guidelines for Turout gear for Firefighterss

All protective clothing should be routinely inspected to insure continued serviceability. This inspection should take place after each cleaning, and following any application where the clothing may have been damaged or contaminated. Damaged clothing should be immediately removed from service until the decision to repair or retire has been made by the safety officer or his designee. All clothing should be cleaned prior to inspection. The following represent minimum criteria for inspection and should be considered basic rather then all inclusive.

Outer shell or Fabric or Material Damage – Turnout Gear that has become torn, ripped, cut, abraded or otherwise damaged by wear should be repaired. All Moisture Barrier material, including sleeve well assemblies, should be checked for peeling or cracking, which are signs of wear and require replacement.


Thread or Seam Damage - All Firefighters turnout seams in each separate layer of the garment shall be inspected for thread or seam damage and restitched as necessary.

Discoloration – Any Discoloration to any of the 3 layers of the protective turnout gear should be evaluated. Check all discolored or faded areas for tensile strength by aggressively flexing the material and attempting to push a finger or thumb through the fabric. Any loss of strength or weakening of the materials to the degree where the material can be torn with manual pressure is a sign of deterioration and the garment should be removed from service for repair or retirement. Discoloration of the Moisture Barrier layer may indicate abrasion or other damage that would render the fabric incapable of preventing water entry.

Char and Heat Damage - All turnout gear layers, generally out shell, inside Moisture Barriers & thermal liner should be examined for charred, burned, or discolored areas that may result in loss of tensile strength and material degradation. To check for weakening of fabric, aggressively flex the material and attempt to push a finger or thumb through the fabric.

Turnout Moisture Barriers - There is a simple field test you can perform to check any Moisture Barrier: Place your Liner on a flat surface (or over a bucket) with the dry Thermal Liner facing down and dry Moisture Barrier facing up. Pour about 1/2 cup of water on the Moisture Barrier and wait a few minutes. If the water passes through the Moisture Barrier and wets the Thermal Liner, your Liner should be removed from service and repaired or replaced. Perform this simple test in high abrasion areas like the broadest part of the shoulders, at the knee, or the seat of the pants), or where you have detected other potential damage to the Shell or Thermal Liner. It is difficult to determine with any certainty whether your Moisture Barrier leaks by looking at either the film or the fabric it’s laminated to.
Knit Distortion - All knit areas of the turnout shall be examined for loss of strength, loss of shape, or loss of elasticity such as on the sleeve of the turnouts.


Turnout gear reflective trim - Trim that is loose but still reflective may be restitched, while trim that has become burned or otherwise damaged must be replaced. Note that the trim may appear to be undamaged to the human eye when it has actually lost much of the ability to reflect.
To check for continued reflectivity, perform a simple “flashlight” test. Standing a minimum of 40 feet from the trim sample to be examined, hold a flashlight at eye level and aim the light beam at the sample to be evaluated. Compare the brightness of the reflected light coming back to a sample of “new” or unused trim. If the reflected light is substantially less than that seen on the new trim, the trim needs to be replaced.


Hardware - Check all hardware, including snaps and dee rings, pocket snaps, zippers, and take-up buckles to insure functionality. Velcro® should be inspected to insure that contamination has not affected functionality and that stitching remains secure.

Lion Janesville New Firefighting Super V-Force Bunker Gear

-->Lion Janesville New V-Force Bunker Gear
New gear increases firefighter comfort and mobility
For Immediate Release
DAYTON, Ohio/EWORLDWIRE/March 3, 2005 --- Janesville's(R) new V-Force(TM) bunker gear, from Lion Apparel, increases firefighter comfort and mobility by incorporating the best technology advancements from combat and professional sports clothing. V-Force(TM) bunker gear raises the bar for protective clothing by employing Janesville's new innovative V-Fit(TM) Design. "It's an evolutionary step forward," says Steve Allison, senior vice president, Lion Protective Systems Group. "In developing the V-Fit™ Design, we worked with the design firm that created an advanced ergonomic concept for the Army's Future Soldier Project. We started with a blank sheet of paper and combined their ergonomic expertise with our fire service experience to develop a streamlined garment that improves firefighter safety by allowing the fire fighter to move more freely and naturally," Allison added. The new design has contoured shaping in both the coat and pants for better fit and mobility. V-Force(TM) bunker gear reduces bunching of materials in key areas such as the elbows, shoulders, crotch and knees. Other design enhancements include: --Shoulder design removes seams that can cause discomfort and impede movement when compressed by SCBA straps. --Raglan sleeves with natural shaping promotes free movement of arms. --V-Notch (TM) elbow and knee reinforcements for natural flexing of arms and legs. --Pants suspension system reduces restriction to movement while protecting lower back from abrasion caused by the SCBA rack. --Contoured legs and knees with cutouts, shaped pieces and darts enable freer movement. --Separable liner system facilitates easy inspection, cleaning, and repair, which also allows replacement of individual liner components. --Viz-a-V(TM) trim pattern for high visibility. Also standard on V-Force(TM) bunker gear are Janesville's dry solutions - isodri(R) protective systems for fast drying and light working weight, Semper Dri(TM) system to reduce water absorption in pants legs and Lite-N-Dri(TM)cushioning in the knees.

V-Force(TM) bunker turnout gear will be on display at the 2005 Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis in April. Firefighters who visit Lion's booth to try on the gear will be entered in a drawing for a Harley-Davidson V-Rod motorcycle.

Osha has not approved Structural gear for aircraft firefighting.

This is a letter to Department of defense

April 3, 1997 Mr. George W. SiebertODUSD (ES) SHDepartment of Defense3400 Defense PentagonWashington, D.C. 20301-3400 Dear Mr. Siebert: The attached memorandum from the Commander In Chief, United States Pacific Fleet, regarding a waiver on Aluminized ProximityProtective Clothing for Aircraft Firefighting, NAVAIR 00-80R-14 has come to our attention. This letter is to correct a misunderstanding and avoid further confusion on this area. The memo states in paragraph 2 that "the OSHA position is that changes in design materials of structural firefighting clothing have resulted in state-of-the-art gear that provides equal or greater protection than that afforded by crash rescue suits and that OSHA has approved the use of structural protective clothing meeting the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.156(e) (NFPA Standard 1971) for both structural and airport crash rescue firefighting." This statement is misleading and the memorandum that the paragraph refers to was written as a specific response to a 1990 question from OSHA Region 3 regarding citations issued to the U.S. Army Transportation Command at Fort Eustis, Virginia and to the U.S. Navy at the Oceania Air Station. In that response, OSHA did not approve the use of structural gear for aircraft firefighting, OSHA stated that the employer would not be cited for using structural gear for aircraft crash response (copy of memo attached). The issue was stated that way at the time because no consensus standard existed that addressed aircraft crash and rescue protective equipment and OSHA had no basis to issue a general duty citation for failure to provide aluminized proximity protective clothing. In 1992, the National Fire Protection Association promulgated NFPA 1976 Standard on Protective Clothing for Proximity Firefighting which does address the issue and which requires aluminized proximity protective clothing for aircraft firefighting. Since there is now a consensus standard for aircraft firefighting, that earlier memorandum is no longer valid and an employer may be cited for failure to follow NFPA 1976. Please advise DOD agencies and CINCPAC that any agency that fails to follow the equipment and other requirements of NFPA 1976 for aircraft firefighting will be subject to OSHA citation. Should you have any further questions, [please contact 202-693-2122]. Thank you in advance for your quick action. Sincerely, John E. Plummer, DirectorOffice of Federal Agency Programs

Breakthrough Technology Inside the Cartridge

North’s new Real-Time ESLI (End of Service Life Indicator) is inside the cartridge, giving users accurate real-time use of the carbon inside. Being inside and visible through North’s clear cartridge shell, users will know when its time to change their cartridges.North’s new Real-Time ESLI will reduce your concerns with OSHA compliance, take the guesswork out of estimating cartridge service life, eliminate those tedious cartridge change-out schedules and avoid costly and premature discarding of cartridges.Out with the Old…Inside with the New North’s Real-Time End-of-Service-Life Indicator (ESLI) is a colorimetric strip positioned inside a North gas and vapor cartridge that turns color when exposed to certain contaminants, indicating the service life of the cartridge has expired and should be replaced.

Typical end-of-service-life indicators on the market today are placed on the outside of the cartridge and do not measure the effectiveness of the carbon inside the cartridge. North’s Real-Time ESLI is embedded inside the clear cartridge shell, so users can see it and easily determine when it’s time to change their cartridges. Users will feel safer.

New Wildland fire fighting vehicles for remote areas.

Many times firefighting crews in remote areas must let fires burn close to the roads or towns before they start fighting them, because the terrain is too rough to directly attack the fire. Homeland Specialty Vehicles, Newton, Texas, believes its Equalizer Fire Truck -- a five-ton, all-terrain military truck -- will solve this proble

m. The company is marketing the Equalizer to wildland firefighting agencies across the U.S.
The truck will make its debut at the International Association of Fire Chiefs' Wildland Fire Conference in Albuquerque, N.M., Feb. 16-18.

Originally manufactured as a medium tactical ATV vehicle by Stewart & Stevenson, Sealy, Texas, for the U.S. Army, the Equalizer has been turned into a very tough fire truck by Homeland Specialty Vehicles, in partnership with Boise Mobile Equipment.

The three-axle vehicle is 25-feet long, 10 feet tall and 8 feet wide and can carry 1,000 gallons of water or firefighting foam in a specially modified bed tank. It comes equipped with a remote-controlled cannon on its front bumper that allows the firefighters to stay in the vehicle and spray water or foam up to 100 feet in front of the vehicle while driving. Typically, firefighters have to stop and exit the vehicle to operate their water cannons. The Equalizer enables firefighters to create their own safety zone as they enter an area and provides them additional time to build an action plan before exiting the truck, which can carry three firefighters.
Although it has been modified, the Equalizer maintains its military toughness, and the all-terrain tires are thicker than normal truck tires, therefore more puncture resistant and better able to handle extreme outdoor environments.

The truck also comes equipped with a Central Tire Inflation System that can keep a tire inflated even if the tire has a whole as big as a quarter. With the push of a button, a fire crew can also purposefully deflate the tires to provide more traction. The truck offers 22 inches of ground clearance and is capable of climbing grades as steep as 60 percent and can travel through water 30 inches to 60 inches deep. Even though it is large, the truck is able to travel 70 miles per hour, which means firefighters can move quickly into position.

Among the most important features of the Equalizer Fire Truck are its communications tools: a satellite phone, satellite radio and a GPS monitoring system. These tools enable firefighting personnel to stay in constant contact with support teams and can provide guidance when smoke and impassable roads force the crew to take alternative routes.
With all of these essential features, the Equalizer starts at $398,000.

Federal, state and local agencies spend more than $1 billion annually fighting wildland fires. States and municipalities also spend money preparing for or fighting wildfires. Wildfire threats are greatest in: Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. States like Colorado and Wyoming are also at great risk. Lightning causes most wildfires.

http://www.equalizerfiretrucks.com/

New Breathing Air compressor lines

- 3-stage, Air Cooled High Pressure Capitano Compressor Yanmar L60 AE-D 6.0 HP Air-Cooled Diesel Engine with 3.7 Quart Fuel Tank
- P1 Air Purification System to Process 15,000 CF of Air per Cartridge at Standard Inlet Conditions
-Pressure Maintaining Valve
-Check Valve
-Bleed Valve
-Air Outlet, 1/4", with Tee Installed
-Lightweight Tubular Metal Frame
-Four Retractable Carrying Handles
-Hourmeter
-Visual CO/Moisture Monitor
-Heavy Duty Casters (four)
-Two Six-Foot Fill Hoses, Each Hose Complete with Shut-Off Valve, Pressure Gauge, Bleed Valve and CGA-347 Adapter
-Austenitic Stainless Steel Tubing, Tube Fittings and Fill Hose Fittings, High Pressure --Instrument Pipe Fittings and Anodized Aluminum Fill Adaptors
-Inlet Air Filter with 10 ft. Flexible Hose