Taditional Helmets in L.A. County?

[spf4001]

LA County has authorized personnel to purchase and use traditional helmets for a two-year period. It has not been decided what will happen at the end of this period. Discontinuance of use is certainly a possibility, but that is not necessarily what will happen.

The requirement for the helmets is that they need to have NFPA certification. I have seen Cairns leather and non-leather, Conway leather and non-leather, Phenix leather, Morning Pride, Chieftain and various other brands in use. The traditional helmets have become fairly common, and in fact I know of several shifts in which every member has a traditional helmet. Some of the firefighters carry their normal Phenix "First Due" helmets with them in their wildland bag for use at brush fires.

[CALFFBOU]

Re: Re: Here is your answer...

Originally posted by NJFFSA16


That's a pretty expensive proposition....buying them with your own funds...and then having to cease using them. I can't imagine many FF's took the opportunity...did they?

Yes, it looks like a good bunch of FFs did buy the
helmets. Paul Conway was the supplier but I cant
honestly tell you if they were composite or
leather.

But after the one or two years, they would look nice
in the house as a nice decoration/convo. piece.

[NJFFSA16]

Re: Here is your answer...

Originally posted by CALFFBOU
As someone else stated,
personnel were allowed to purchase those helmets
with their own money and wear them for a 1 or 2
year period in honor of FDNY and 9/11. Then they
will stop wearing them.

That's a pretty expensive proposition....buying them with your own funds...and then having to cease using them. I can't imagine many FF's took the opportunity...did they?

[CALFFBOU]

Here is your answer...

No...The LA County Fire Dept. is NOT switching
to traditional helmets. As someone else stated,
personnel were allowed to purchase those helmets
with their own money and wear them for a 1 or 2
year period in honor of FDNY and 9/11. Then they
will stop wearing them.

I got this information from my contact there and
from their department off-duty magazine called
"Straight Streams."

Please consider these facts. LA County, like other
places are in a budget crunch. It would be hard to
justify re-outfitting over 2000 of their FFs with
new $400.00+ helmets. Also, again, we have monster
wildland aka "vegetation" fires out here and LACo
uses their Phenix Fire Dues for both modes-
structure and wildland.

Hope that answers your question.

[ff7134]

OOHHH No, befroe you know it they will be able to wear Leather!!!!

I am glad to be around when the West Coasters finally come around to the DARK SIDE

[NJFFSA16]

Send them an E-mail....and find out from the source.

[email protected]

[PFD109NFD107]

Just curious......... Is it tAditional or tRaditional??? As long as they don't wear those Pompier helmets from France.....

[Engine101]

I shall have to ask some folks over with LA County

[firenresq77]

Who knows, maybe they'll stick with Phoenix's Traditional Helmets....

[DaSharkie]

If I remember reading correctly LACo FD has allowed those who wish to wear traditional style helmets. This came after the WTC murders on September 11, 2001.

If I also recall correctly, they are only allowed to wear Paul Conway, but I could be mistaken. I know Paul Conway has a link on their site for the program that allows this but it no longer works so I son't know what the status is.

It's nice to see real helmets show up out west instead of the condom hats.

[Firefighter631]

He'll be ok, as long as the "T" word is taken out of them before issue



Just kidding Bouk...... no offense intended.

[MIKEYLIKESIT]

Ssssshhhh

Dont tell Bouk... He might snap.

[Ladders3]

I heard a rumor that L.A. County F.D. is switching to a traditional style helmet (Paul Conway or Ben Franklin II, maybe?). Can anyone in L.A. confirm or deny this?