Wildland firefighting isn’t like structural firefighting. A wildland firefighter works to preserve and protect forests, prairies, and other parts of the great outdoors from decimation and conflagration. As such, they require special equipment—and not just eye-catching tools like Pulaski axes and drip torches. Wildland firefighters need professional personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep them safe from burns, injuries, and other issues. Learn more about wildland firefighting with this complete guide to wildland firefighter PPE and how it protects wildland firefighters.
Rudimentary Requirements
PPE equipment varies because it needs to protect the firefighter from head to toe. Different parts of the body require specific coverage and protection levels, but by and large wildland firefighting PPE must obey the following rules.
- Naturally, PPE must safeguard the firefighter’s body and head from outside harm.
- PPE must allow the firefighter to breathe easily and protect the respiratory system from infiltration by ash and smoke.
- It must be usable in different environments to adapt to the firefighters’ duties.
- PPE must be comfortable since the firefighter may be at work in it for hours or even days at a time.
- Lightweight and not cumbersome, yet still meeting all safety standards.
The above standards are all kept in mind when designing and manufacturing the following protective clothing. Some may also be subject to standards and requirements devised and issued by the federal government and National Fire Protection Association.
Helmets
While fire and heat may seem like the biggest danger wildland firefighters face, they’re just as much, if not more, in danger of head injuries on the job. Firefighters can face collapsing branches, falling rocks, and projectiles on the job, and thus need to protect their heads from concussions, skull fractures, brain injuries, and the like. Unlike the peaked fire helmets worn by structural firefighters, wildland firefighters favor more hardhat-looking helmets that provide a wide brim for added safety. Such helmets are lightweight yet strong and shock-resistant. Many helmets also have protective goggles and a headlamp for greater visibility at night and during a fire.
Boots
Heading due south on the body, we find a firefighter’s boots. Firefighting boots are leather instead of rubber, which can melt in the intense heat of a wildfire. Boots must be capable of dealing with rough and treacherous terrain, providing protection as well as a good grip on any kind of surface. They must also be comfortable and not prone to causing blisters that could slow down a firefighter. They should also be tough enough to resist cuts, scrapes, and abrasions on all parts of the boot and must not use synthetic materials in the stitching that could melt.
Brush Pants
Jeans and chinos may look good everywhere, but they don’t offer the necessary protection of firefighter brush pants. A walk in the woods, even on the most pleasant day, requires tough material to handle sharp thorns, sticky burrs, and branches that can catch and tug at pant legs. Brush pants also feature Nomex, a flame-resistant product that doesn’t melt under high heat.
Brush Shirts
Built as tough as brush pants, wildland brush shirts resist the same resistance to physical tears from thorns, burrs, and twigs. They’re also fire resistant, meeting NFPA 1977 standards. Brush shirts are often bright yellow for visibility, loose-fitting to provide ease of movement and reduce the danger of radiant heat, and adequately ventilated for comfort and protection against overheating.
Gloves
Gloves are vital in almost any kind of hard work, but when it comes to fighting wildfires, it goes well beyond simple hand coverings. Wildland firefighting gloves feature leather and provide protection from high heat, flames, cuts, abrasions, falling debris, and more. The leather allows water to roll off and doesn’t grow damp. Firefighters can maintain a good grip while retaining the necessary dexterity that could be vital in an emergency.
Respirators
While some firefighters wear full-face gas masks connected to tanks of air, wildland firefighters often don respirators. Respirators cover the nose and mouth and protect against smoke, embers, soot, and other air-borne issues and particles, as well as bacteria and some gases. Respirators provide a line of defense against all the above hazards, keeping the lungs clean and free from interference. This piece of PPE saves plenty of lives.
Fire Shelters
Not all PPE takes the form of a garment. Sometimes PPE is something you pack, carry along, and only engage in an emergency. Fire shelters are collapsible and portable devices constructed of aluminum foil, fiberglass, and silica. The firefighter removes the shelter from its package, then covers themselves with it, tucking in the sides. The foil and fiber glass provide some level of short-term protection against radiant heat, though under extreme temperatures, the cover will begin to separate. Still, even a few minutes of safety can make a difference. It also helps contain a certain amount of breathable air inside the shelter, protecting the firefighter’s lungs from superheated air, soot, and ash. Fire shelters must be ISO 9001 certified.
Goggles
The eyes can be a firefighter’s most important tool. That’s why it’s vital to protect them at all costs. Goggles can safeguard firefighters’ eyes against damage from smoke, debris, projectiles, and more. Many have anti-fogging materials to ensure high heat and humidity don’t obscure the firefighter’s vision through condensation. Goggles can also prevent redness, irritation, sunburn, scratching, and more from springing up after a fire, leading to potential disabilities and the need for recovery time.
That’s a complete guide to wildland firefighter PPE. If you’re in the market for guaranteed personal protective equipment for your wildland firefighters, contact us for a consultation. We offer a wide assortment of protective clothing, equipment, and more to protect your workers even as they protect the community and environment. We look forward to hearing from you!
