Hey,
First of all-relax-this piece is NOT about offensive,
defensive or sit on the fence-ive firefighting.
This is about FIRE APPARATUS as well as about your BUNKER
GEAR & RELATED PPE and the fact that new research supports significant
changes are needed to fire apparatus and PPE to help us survive on the job.
Over the last several years, researchers at the NIOSH have
collected body measurements from firefighters across the U.S. This was done in
an effort to assess how well fire apparatus and personal protective equipment
(PPE) accommodate today’s firefighters, who have different body sizes than the
general population. The data NIOSH collected show that design changes to fire
apparatus and PPE can aid in improving firefighter safety.
For example, NIOSH researchers found:
· Seat belts are too short to
allow firefighters to buckle up in turnout gear
· Seats do not adequately fit
firefighters in turnout gear
· Fire vehicles lack head
supports that could reduce neck injuries
· Structural firefighting
glove-sizing specifications do not match firefighter hand variations well.
These findings and others are available on the NIOSH website (link below).
While NIOSH has shared this data with fire service partners and manufacturers,
they ask that we sll assist by:
1. Sharing the data with others who interact with the firefighter community and
may benefit from the information,
2. Encouraging fire apparatus and PPE manufacturers to draw upon this research
when redesigning fire trucks and equipment, and
3. Use the data to when purchasing trucks and equipment for our crews.
HERE is the LINK to the above discussed information
and factual data:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/data/datasets/RD-1007-2015-0/
Facts - not fiction. Please take time to check out the above
LINK.
Take Care. Be Careful. Pass It On.
BillyG
The Secret List 12-7-2015-0800 Hours
www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com ...