Bunker gear
Personal protective equipment used by firefighters
Bunker gear (also known as turnout gear, fire kit and incident gear) is the personal protective equipment (PPE) used by firefighters. The term is derived from the fact that the trousers and boots are traditionally kept by firefighters' bunks at the fire station to be readily available for use.
01History
The modern firefighter's helmet was developed in 1830 by luggage maker Henry Gratacap, a volunteer firefighter in New York City. This helmet is recognizable today as the "New York" style of helmet, and has retained the same basic shape. The helmet had a brimmed front to affix a leather shield, usually adorned with a company name and number. It featured eight rib sections on the dome for added rigidity and a long rear brim that channeled water away from the wearer's neck.
The combination of modern triple-layer turnout gear with self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), personal alert safety system (PASS) device, and modern communications equipment is intended to provide protection against smoke, heat, water, steam, flashovers, and even direct flame for a short time. Modern turnout jackets and pants are made of fire-retardant fabrics, mainly aramids such as Nomex and Kevlar or polybenzimidazole (PBI).
In the United States, the National Fire Protection Association publishes the requirements for fire protective clothing under NFPA 1971, Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting. In order to comply with the NFPA standard, protective clothing is required to be tested and certified by independent third-parties, and bear the certifying body's logo and a compliance statement. Such third-party certifications are issued by the Safety Equipment Institute (SEI) and UL Solutions.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Bunker gear”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Turnout gear in the Czech Republic.jpg by Michal Maňas, CC BY 2.5
- Chicago fire fighters walking.jpg by Brett Gustafson, CC BY 2.5
- Pompiersmtl.jpg by Mtlfiredude, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Feuerwehrsicherheitsgurt.jpg by Magmer~commonswiki (Magnus Mertens), CC BY-SA 2.0 de
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