Leather or Metro Helmets???

[Ford45]

[This message has been edited by Ford45 (edited 11-23-2000).]

[FF/Diver]

AS MUCH AS I LOVE TEXAS, MOST DEPARTMENTS DON'T BELIEVE IN THEM SOOO SAD. LEATHER FOR EVER. ISN'T THIS JOB ALL ABOUT LOOKING GOOD

FOR ALL YOU NON LEATHER BELIEVERS I WAS JOKING ABOUT THE LOOKING GOOD SO PLEASE DON'T START WHINING ABOUT HOW I SHOULD CARE ABOUT SAVING LIVES AND NOT WORRY ABOUT LOOKING GOOD, MAN YOU CAN'T EVEN AY A JOKE ANYMORE

[SSD]

SORRY FORD 45, I MUST HAVE GOT CARRIED AWAY THERE... I JUST FEEL SENSITIVE ABOUT MY YELLOW METRO HELMET... I TAKE ALOT OF CRAP ABOUT IT.
FORD 45, YOU SOUND LIKE A DORK.. GIMME YOUR LUNCH MONEY!!

[Ford45]

Yeah, appology accepted SSD. But, ah, dork?? Thats just mean. Hey, I'll bet ya that my lunch cost more than you're metro!! ooooo, did I say that out loud??

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Matt
Newtown Fire Association
Station 45

[ENGINE 52]

I love my LEATHER. I had for 14 years. Wouldn't wear anything else.

[Nick SBFD 6]

Well, you can tell who in this room has never worn leather!!! Maybey it's just a North east thing, after all isn't that where American firefighting began. To the rest of you, good luck with the salad bowls, I've been there too, and regret every day of it.

Oh yeah, and my salad bowl sure as he!! wasn't YELLOW!!!

[windham3]

It is traditional thinking like leather helmets that have American firefighters playing catchup to the rest of the world. If departments (and individuals) would use what worked the best instead of what was traditionally accepted, the injury and fatality list might be shorter in this country. When an improvement comes along, it is stupid not to utilize it. These guys with the leather helmets and long coats with no bunker pants are the same ones that walk into fires without SCBA. They are very heroic as they get carried to the ambulance.

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Bradford County PA.
Department 19

[Ford45]

Yeah, but put it this way. No other fire department in the world fights fires as aggressivly as american fire companies, so yeah, there's gonna be a few more fatalities. But I don't think that leather helmets have anything to do with them, considering they are all OSHA approved and at least one of them is NFPA approved. And as for guys running in with no bunker pants, no scba? Well thats not what we are talking about here. Just because someone has a leather doesn't mean that they are doing that. And your right, there is a lot of traditional thinking going on in the fire service, thats what makes us different from all the rest. Try to remember that as you go in to a building next time, because we are VERY different from everyone else.

[FF/Diver]

Windham
I have to agree with you to a point. The fire service sometimes get locked into this tradition thing and firefighters have died, because of it. But I don't ever remember hearing a story about a firefighter death because he was wearing a leather. They only time I'm told a leather can be dangerous is during a hazmat call because the leather could absorb some of the chemical, but you know what so will your turn out gear. That's why they invented class a suits, so yes LEATHER FOR EVER, intill someone can show me were a fighter has died because of it. This is one tradition I'm sticking with.

[FPOfficer308]

Leather Forever!

P.S. The Ben Franklin or Paul Conway IS NOT the same. Lighter? Yes. Cheaper? Yes. The same? No.

[This message has been edited by FPOfficer308 (edited 11-24-2000).]

[windham3]

I didn't mean to imply that anyone has died because of a leather helmet. I have never heard of it anyway. Reading some of the responses to the question I detected the same old "tradition before reason" attitude I have seen too often. Guess I got a little fired up and got off the subject.

I figure the final word as far as a helmet would be whichever is most comfortable for you. The more comfortable you can be, the better job you'll do.

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Bradford County PA.
Department 19

[RDWFIRE]

I have been a west coast firefighter my entire career. While I DO like the looks of the "traditional" leather helmet, my personal favorite is the Phenix "First Due 1500". The weight and comfort can't be beat. I won't get into the leather vs metro arguement. Just stating my preference. They ALL protect your melon!

Be safe. The dragon lurks!!!

[GTFDLt61]

Windham and all, the reason I choose to wear leather is, that I know that it will NEVER melt down around my ears when the room that my state of the art gear has allowed me to get so far into 'cause its soooo damn hot. One of the reasons I bought my leather was due in part to an article in a trade magazine by a California (of all places) fire chief. He'd had one of his men get caught in a flashover situation and had his 660 melt down around his ears and neck. He was advocating going back to leathers for the safety of them. The pictures that were included with that article as well as the fact that I was wearing the very same 660 at the time made up my mind and I haven't looked back since (although I must admit I just bought a 'rescue' style brimless Cairns to wear for MVA's)

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[SBrooks]

Hey, the DC Metro area wears leathers and we're south of the Mason-Dixon Line. None of the department issue them anymore, though they do remain popular. DC & PG & I believe Montgomery Co., MD allow them to be worn, and many guys do. I'm pretty sure that Phoenix wannabe Fairfax, VA does not allow leather helmets. Standard color is yellow for FFs and white for officers. Some companies use black or even silver. While you might not like yellow helmets, they look mighty nice after a few fires.


A question for the group: What kind of helmet shield/frontice/front piece do you wear?

Around here the three most popular ones are the paul conway fdny passport one (I have an older one -- the quality seems to have slipped in recent years), the boston style shield, and locally handmade ones (I have one of these now, and doubt I'll buy anything else).


One more thing: in the district of columbia, colors associated with the companies (on helmet shields, etc) are: Engines, red; Trucks, green; Rescue Squads, Blue;

I know many places use black for engines, red for trucks, and blue for squads.



[This message has been edited by SBrooks (edited 11-25-2000).]

[GRAPPER]

Leather is the only way to go "Leather Forever".

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D/O Hays Grapperhaus
Local 254