Ordered to scrub your helmet?

[Chief_Roy]

It seems like we're on a helmet fixation lately, so might as well throw another one out there that I'm sure many people feel passionately about.

We had a policy in one of my former departments that you had to keep your helmet clean. In other words, if you went to a big fire and got soot all over it, you had to clean it up. Sometimes the chief would let it slide for a while but after a couple of months he'd walk by the turnout rack and notice the helmets and he'd order the guys to clean them. If they didn't, he'd have the BC in charge of safety go around and clean them himself. That really *issed some guys off.

The chief's main thing was safety. Not only did the soot cover up the reflective decals but it was the carcinogens. He reasoned it was no different than requiring guys to wash their turnouts after a major fire. His secondary reason was he thought the helmets just looked nicer and more "professional" when they were clean. Nothing he did during his tenure caused more controversy than messing with the helmets. But given I've had a couple recent NFA instructors start harping about keeping helmets clean, I guess he was before his time.

Personally it's not an issue I care to tackle at my current department. The guys would flip out and there are more important safety things to worry about first, like making sure everyone has a good set of turnouts.

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

Micromanagement at its very best....

It's like the Captain of a cruise ship that is sinking worrying about the arrangement of the deck chairs...

[islandfire03]

And if you don't have them clean all the toxic crap off the helmets, they will be the first to run to the steward and want to sue for exposing them to carcinogens.
& maintaining a hazardous workplace!

[email protected] if ya do, [email protected] if ya don't !

[johnny46]

If being told to keep your helmet clean is micromanagement, then so are all other rules regarding cleaing the apparatus and the station.

[JayDudley]

Helmets

The Department I worked for had a badge of honor that your helmet looked like $hit. The easy way to get them to clean it was have the rookie clean half of it for them and the rest will be taken care of.

[PaladinKnight]

Dept SOP states that the firefighter shall keep his helmet clean, free of objects and debris and prepared for use.

The Company Officers perform a gear check on the first shift of the pay period. (every two weeks).

Because this dept has a history of OSHA violations, (Before my time), Policies are tough on PPE condition.

The Jurisdiction's right to require safety compliance trumps the firefighter's individuals rights to do what they want.

[ChiefKN]

Annually we would inspect the gear and give the guys a month to square it away... if they didn't then the officers would pull it wash and hang it back up wet. Noone wanted to have their gear cleaned on the day they were available and potentially miss a run.... so they would put it in the washer in the AM before they let town and then finish it when they got home.

We actually had a probie who offered to wash/dry your gear for ten bucks during the day. Worked out pretty well.

I'm not a big worrier about the carcinogens, more the nasty smells and having to do fire prevention details and just simple fire alarm/co alarm invests. Walking through people's homes with nasty smelling gear is not nice.

[Chief_Roy]

The Department I worked for had a badge of honor that your helmet looked like $hit. The easy way to get them to clean it was have the rookie clean half of it for them and the rest will be taken care of.

Now that's funny. Now I recall an officer or two doing that at my department too. Wash just half of it and it's almost guaranteed the other half will get washed too.

[JMac73]

Our gear gets inspected twice a year, and they wash it while they have it at supply. Helmets get inspected and repaired as necessary. They will be fixed or replaced, but I have never seen one get cleaned.

[JMac73]

I know a guy who had his helmet "Turtle Waxed" by his crew as a joke. NOTHING would stick to that helmet for the rest of the time it was in service.

[NobodyAnymore]

Micromanagement at its very best....

It's like the Captain of a cruise ship that is sinking worrying about the arrangement of the deck chairs...

Not a very good analogy, because it assumes there's something majorly wrong with his department (in the same way that sinking is something that's majorly wrong with a cruise ship). Now I can't tell what department the OP is from; maybe you can, but I can't. So for all I know, maybe it's like the captain of a cruise ship that's running absolutely perfectly smoothly worrying about the arrangement of the deck chairs. If everything else is fine but the deck chairs are wrong...what else is there to do but order the deck chairs to be arranged?

That being said, I'm sure there's no such thing as a fire department where helmet cleanliness is the only thing to worry about. That doesn't mean it's not worth taking care of, though.

[LVFD301]

It seems like we're on a helmet fixation lately, so might as well throw another one out there that I'm sure many people feel passionately about.

We had a policy in one of my former departments that you had to keep your helmet clean. In other words, if you went to a big fire and got soot all over it, you had to clean it up. Sometimes the chief would let it slide for a while but after a couple of months he'd walk by the turnout rack and notice the helmets and he'd order the guys to clean them. If they didn't, he'd have the BC in charge of safety go around and clean them himself. That really *issed some guys off.

.

I guess I am confused. Why would you NOT want to clean your gear (Other than the macho BS?)

And if a Chief officer has to tell someone - repeatedly - why are they still there?

Now, tasking a BC to do it? Personally? BS.

[Blulakr]

I guess I am confused. Why would you NOT want to clean your gear (Other than the macho BS?)

And if a Chief officer has to tell someone - repeatedly - why are they still there?

Now, tasking a BC to do it? Personally? BS.

What he said

Plus, they have reflective tape on them for better visibility at night especially at MVA's. I guess getting hit by a rubbernecker is macho too??

[neiowa]

I have to tell my 7 year old to put his dirty underwear in the laundry. An "adult" can't figure out why/how to clean (TAKE CARE OF WHAT THE TAXPAYER PURCHASED) his TO gear without being told to do so?

Recovery from the field includes cleaning all gear and you're/unit is not ready to deploy until it's 100% completed. The Fire Service should be any different?

I'd be total embarrassed for anyone that needed a supervisor/leader to tell him to clean his personal equipment. Immature.

[hwoods]

Yeah..............

Walking through people's homes with nasty smelling gear is not nice.

Some years back, we ran a Call for "Bells" in a single Family home...... The Captain asked the Homeowner several questions about the Smoke Detectors and ended with "When the Alarm went off, Did you smell any Smoke??" The Homeowner's Reply - "Not until the Firemen came in the House....".....