Protective hoods...

[pokeyfd12]

This topic was posted a while ago and there were quite a few respondents. Some were in favor of not wearing the hood but for the most part from what I coulc tell, the mass majority was in favor of wearing a hood.

Let me get this straight, it's OK to not wear a hood into a fire and receive burns that will put you out of work, cause extreme pain, cost thousands of dollars and is a recommended practice by the NFPA......BUT it's not OK to get frostbite??????????

If you have a hood, wear it, if you don't purchase one. Yes it is your skin, yes it is your life but I'm sure your family, friends and co-workers and brother FF see it differently when you are lying in the burn unit. The hood is issued like the rest of your turnout gear. Do you wear an air pack in a smoke filled hazardous environment or would you rather die of lung cancer 10-15-20 years from now.

If you can't tell it's hot by other practices otther than risking your skin, you aren't a smart firefighter. Anybody that has been in a flashover simulator will tell you they can feel the heat through their gear, has felt the air from the tank get warmer the longer they sit in there and watch plastic items on their gear melt. Use a gloved hand, use a gear mounted heat sensor, ventilate as needed but don't take your body and life for granted just to judge the heat. By the time you feel the heat on uncovered skin, you are already burned.

Nuff said.....

Lt. Kevin C. (aka Pokey)

[MB1213635]

The days of 3/4 boots and long coats was a little bit before my time. I've always had bunker gear and a hood. The idea of using my ears as a thermometer just does not sit well with me. Pokeyfd12 makes a good point. There are better indicators to tell you when its time to go than burning your ears. And if everything goes to **** you should know to get out...whether your ears are sizzling or not. If you are worried about knowing when to get out with bunker gear and a hood, train with it and learn what signs to look for to tell you to get out. Flashover simulators are great and if you have access to one, you should definitely go. Train with the gear you have. Learn it's limitations and properties. Use that knowledge to your advantage. With your training, experience, and knowledge you should be able to identify when it's time to go. Like I said, I whave no desire to get burned. Be Smart, Stay Safe, and Have Fun.

[Frenchy]

Good topic guy's personally I would not go inside a burning building whithout my blue hood. I have done some reasearch on burns and from what i have found the skin on the face is some of the most sensitive skin on your body meaning it will burn faster and be more painful that many other burns on other parts of your body. Burns on your face are more likely to get infected and are harder to repair. I mean soory to dissagree with the guy who wont wear his hood but to me its just insane.


Take care guy's and gal's be safe.
Yves Bourgoin

[FyredUp]

This is another one of those topics that appears to be cut and dried. Wear your hood if you want to, don't wear it if you don't want to...However it isn't really that simple. If every member of the crew except for one wears a hood and the non-wearer has to bail, perhaps at a less than oportune moment, who is affected? The entire crew, and possibly any civilians still savable past the area of intense heat, and to a lesser degree perhaps the building because we couldn't stick for another minute is affected by that choice.

I am an officer, our policy is clear, full PPE to include the hood for structure fires, if I don't enforce it I am negligent. The argument that you can't tell what is going on around you unless you turn your ears into pork rinds is ridiculous. I have been a firefighter for 23 years, I hope in that time I have learned a few things about fire growth that will allow me to see the danger signs. If that isn't enough, and you still want to cook something, reach up with your gloved hand to check the heat. Yes, you will feel the difference through your glove.

For the guy here who says it is department policy to wear his hood and he doesn't. Here's what I would do for him, document every call he went on that the hood wasn't worn, verbally counsel him, then if necessary write him up, if he was injured by not following policy I would see him medically cared for and then suspended from the FD for whatever term was appropriate. We cannot pick and choose what rules to follow on this job, particularly safety ones.

I am sure I will have stirred some strong emotion with my comments...but so be it. This issue shouldn't even be an issue, particularly where its use is FD policy.

Take care and stay safe,

FyredUp

[rfd241]

I dunno if you are trying to be superman or trying to protect your macho image here or what the deal is. But there is absolutely no reason to not wear a hood. You should have enough proper training with a hood that you know what the indicators are of when you need to get out. Like when your shield or gear begins to melt, I think you could consider that a good time to get out. Or when the air you are breathing from your bottle is too hot for you to breath in. There are many other indicators for knowing when to get out other than using your ears as "thermometers". I am not sure what the rest of you think but I am no sacrificing my hearing and ears to discover that I am too close at a job.

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[CFDENG23]

I personally wear my hood most of the time. I think it is ridiculous to expose yourself any more than you have to. I conceed the feeling of security is high and can lead to "getting in too deep" but that should be re-enforced with proper training in being aware of fire conditions. The photo posted hear says alot I think. Finally, there may be some workers comp considerations if you are injured and not properly protected.

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Views stated do not reflect that of my department or local.

[lumpy649]

Wow... thanks for the responses! I just want to clarify my original post's message. The times that I do not wear a hood are few and far between. What I describe to be "small fires" include such annoyances as food on the stove, or a piece of clothing draped over a lamp that lights off, or a smoking appliance. Fires that are smoky and irritating enough to require a mask, but can be handled with an extinguisher. I feel I've been misread by many of you, although your answers, comments and the picture obviously make sense. Thaks for the replies, and stay safe, brothers...