Replacing Bunker Gear

[JerryJ101]

Just wondering, how long does your department keep your bunkers before replacing with new NFPA 1971 gear?

[CaptainGonzo]

General rule of thumb is 5 years or on as an needed basis, the replaced set then gets put into storage as a backup set. My FD replaces 1/3 of the gear yearly as the 5 year mark approaches. Guys assigned to the chauffeur/driver/operator positions can get more "time" on their gear than the grunts going interior.

If you take care of your gear, it will take care of you!

My own regimen is to wash it a minimum of quarterly or as needed after incidents.

[rfd599]

We have around 250 line personnel and we replace turnouts on an "As Needed" basis. Twice a year, our district chief's come around and do an inspection to make sure our gear is serviceable. At this time, if it needs to be repaired or replaced, the chief does the paperwork and you get new or repaired turnouts.

If your gear becomes damaged or contaminated between inspections, it is your responsiblity to notify your officer and he informs the chief of the problem.

Our department is very liberal with new gear and wants to make sure that each firefighter is properly protected. I would say that each member probably gets new gear every 3-5 years depending on how busy his/her company is and how well they take care of their gear.

rfd599
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