Firefighter Equipment – Understanding This High Tech World

Ever since the dawn of civilization, mankind has revered and worshipped fire as being a formidable force that can simply not be controlled. The story of the discovery of fire will always remain a mystery but I can still say this, the day man knew how to make fire, he also came to the realization that this is one natural force that he will never be able to fully master. Perhaps this is the reason why even today, in most cultures fire is still worshipped as a powerful force, capable of creation and destruction both.

And it is this sense of responsibility towards fire and this understanding of its powers that is necessary to keep yourself and those around you safe and risk free. Our heroes – the firefighters perform an amazing service to us by helping avert disasters and managing dangerous fire accidents. We do owe a lot to them. Let us take a closer look at how they do it and what sort of firefighting equipment do they use to execute these wondrous feats.

The gear being used by our firefighters can be categorized into many types. These include alarms, breathing apparatus, detectors, extinguishers, fire suppression systems, foam equipment, HazMat Decontamination, passive fire protection, personal protective equipment, fire pumps, rescue tools, thermal imaging cameras, firefighter training and fire vehicles. As you can understand from their names themselves, each of these equipments serve specific purposes namely, fire detection, fire control, civilian rescue, extinguishing equipment, transportation and gear to keep the fireman safe, active and productive.

Personal protective equipment happens to be the most important of them all. It allows the firemen to work and perform in extreme circumstances. Fire accidents present a variety of dangers and challenges. Difficult to see and breathe is the top on this list. Next comes mobility as the fireman should be able to safely enter the site of the accident, maneuver through tight spots and raging blazes and manage to reach the core of the problem. Fires also pose the risk of dangerous gases at the accident site which will not only be damaging to the body of the fireman but will also present a grave danger of being flammable or toxic. Identification and containment of these poses another challenge.

This is why specially designed firefighter equipment is made available to these professionals to help them manage the accident scene effectively and safely. Their uniform, helmets, masks, boots and other garments form the first line of defense against fire. Next comes their tools and accessories that that they will be using to fight the blaze and get it under control. Firefighting equipment will also include detection technology like thermal imaging, smoke alarms, gas detectors and more to help the personnel in assessing the true gravity of the situation. Rescue gear will include tools to keep the lives of the civilians trapped in the fire safe as they are rescued out of the building. This includes protective clothing and breathing apparatus.

About The Author

Timothy McDaemon is an expert in firefighter gear and has been an active member of many research and development teams for coming up with state of the art equipment for our servicemen to tackle their operations. He also writes many interesting articles and blogs about the topic to help common people understand the industry better. Visit Feldfire.com to know more about firefighting equipment.