Fighting fire is a dangerous and demanding job. Firefighters are exposed to temperatures of 1,500 to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Between the high heat and work load, firefighters handle extreme amounts of stress both physically and mentally. Thankfully there is equipment and technology that helps the work load decrease.
Unfortunately, because of the high heat, hydraulic and mechanical equipment cannot be used because of its high flammability. Therefore firefighters have resorted to hand tools. Some of the main hand tools include: the Halligan bar, pry bars, pike poles, flat headed ax, firefighters ax (a pick ax with a short pick), and a sledgehammer. The most common two on the fire ground are the Halligan and flat headed ax, which when put together are called a married pair, or irons. The ax fits inside the Halligan’s claw almost perfectly. The only problem is that these tools don’t run themselves.

The most important equipment a firefighter can have is their personal protective equipment (PPE), frequently called bunker gear. The iconic yellow suit with reflecting bands protects the firefighter from temperatures of 3,000 degrees for 5 minutes. PPE consists of  boots (leather or rubber), pants, a jacket, and a helmet. Although iconic bucker gear is yellow, the gear comes in yellow, black, orange, and even gray. Some departments even have pink bunker gear for breast cancer awareness month.

Although PPE is important the public loves apparatus. The fire truck is arguably the most know equipment. One reason may be its size, but from being on a department myself I think it’s the noise and the lights; that wonderful air horn and wail siren. These trucks carry large quantities of water, along with almost all of the equipment. Weighing around 6 ton in the smallest truck these trucks get pretty squirrely during the winter months.

It’s amazing how that even with all the high tech equipment fighting fire is still dangerous. Fires constantly change, they burn hotter and faster. So even with all the equipment, the danger is still there. Thank you to all men and women that protect our communities from fire.