By Kimberly Sherman

Those piles of pants puddled around boots at the fire station are not the result of sloppy firefighters quickly shedding gear, anxious to settle in for the night. Quite the opposite, actually.

Aptly named a “turnout,” the layered pieces are kept in a “ready” position by turning out the pants over the boots. This way, the firefighter simply steps into the boots and pulls the pants up. A firefighter is expected to gear up in a turnout within a minute’s time.

Danny Wristen, Battalion Chief for the Visalia Fire Department, explains, “Turnouts are personal protective equipment designed for a wide variety of emergencies such as burning buildings. They are made of fire retardant material; they will burn, but not as readily.”

The basic layers of a turnout include a cotton T-shirt, a coat, pants with accompanying suspenders, waterproof leather or rubber boots, a protective hood, a strong helmet with eye protection, gloves, and an SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus). An additional belt equipped with life-saving tools packs on additional weight and girth in preparing a firefighter for any unforeseen incident. The turnout can weigh up to seventy-five pounds.

Deconstructing the Turnout

Wristen says, ”We have different things we wear depending on the situation. We wear the entire turnout with all layers for rescue situations, traffic accidents, anything with the potential for fires, and as protection from getting cut.”

The turnout, generally a single jacket, corresponding hood, pants, and waterproof gloves, is composed of three layers.

Thermal protection layer—The innermost, “thermal” layer, protects the firefighter from heat. A special batting is quilted to achieve a thick insulation and help immunize the firefighter from the flames’ intense heat.

Vapor layer—Vapors such as carbon monoxide can combust and pose a dangerous threat to firefighters during a raging fire. This layer helps keep profuse hot steam and harmful vapors away from the firefighter’s body.

Moisture layer—The moisture barrier gives the turnout the ability to repel water on one side, while letting moisture seep through the other. This design allows the firefighter to sweat, and dissipates the accrued moisture, while still repelling potential steam burns and the water used to fight the fire.

SCBA—Beyond the layers of the turnout, the Self Contained Breathing Apparatus allows the firefighter access to air via a full face mask designed to protect against smoke inhalation, toxic fumes, and gasses. The SCBA contains fifteen to twenty-five minutes worth of air, depending on the rapidity of the firefighter’s breath. Another device, the PASS, or Personal Alert Safety System, is an alarm that sounds and alerts colleagues when a firefighter becomes horizontal, stops moving for a specified period of time or manually operates the device.

“Those on a fire engine at a busy house may respond to five, up to fifteen calls a day,” said Wristen. “They may get into their turnouts three to five times a day.”

Cameron Long, Fire Captain for the City of Tulare Fire Department, says that his department recently conducted a lengthy investigation to determine the type of turnout gear most conducive to the environment that local firefighters face each day.

“There are a number of different types of turnout material, all rated on their ability to protect you in fire and the ability to exhaust body heat,” says Long. “The material that protects you better in fire doesn’t allow you to exhaust body heat, but a material that protects against heat stress doesn’t give you as much protection in a structure fire. We fight significant structure fires in the extreme heat, so we chose a material right down the middle.”

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends replacing turnouts every seven years. At roughly $2,000 for a coat and pants, and forty suppression firefighters for whom to tailor a turnout in Tulare, it is critical, says Long, to find the most cost-efficient, effective gear for the men and women who protect the citizens on a daily basis.

Trench Rescue Gear

A grassland or wildland fire poses a lesser threat of injury; consequently the firefighters keep a lighter set of gear on hand for such occasions. The trench rescue gear is primarily used when the threat is that of being cut as opposed to the threat of burns.

The basics of trench rescue gear include fire resistant pants, a fire resistant shirt, a helmet, eye protection, gloves, and leather boots.

“It just has one fire retardant layer that offers a little thermal protection, but no vapor protection,” says Wristen. “It’s like a pair of jeans that won’t burn as easily.”

Acclimatization

One of the main problems facing firefighters is the necessity of wearing hot uniforms while in heated conditions … specifically a regular day’s work in the hot Valley.

The cumbersome turnouts can be extremely uncomfortable and hot to wear. It’s a small price to pay, though, considering the protection of the turnout while enduring the extreme temperatures of a raging fire will keep the firefighter safe. The structural complexity of a turnout will fail at approximately 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit or (650 degrees Celsius).

“We have to acclimatize our bodies to get them ready to work in hot conditions,” said Wristen. Replicating less than ideal conditions in March or April is a good way to begin preparing firefighters for the scorching triple digits of the typical Visalia summer.

Proper hydration and controlling work periods are also key to keeping the firefighter in prime condition and ready to tackle every emergency situation that may arise.

Wristen describes the difference in firefighter participation between winter and summer conditions by using “tank rotations” as a benchmark for how long a firefighter can endure trying conditions before swapping out with a teammate.

During the winter, a firefighter can continue working for two tanks. The firefighter rushes into the burning building, exhausts the fifteen- to twenty five-minute air supply, exits, and swaps out the empty tank for a full one, then continues a second round until that air supply has been exhausted.

“During the summer months, we go to a one tank rotation,” says Wristen. “The firefighter exhausts a single tank of air supply, and then goes immediately into rehab.”

Rehab involves taking the turnouts off or opening them up, drinking a lot of water and Gatorade, and using misters to help cool off. An easy-up rudimentary shelter provides a quick bite of shade for larger incidents.

“In the summer it may take thirty-five to forty people instead of twenty to put out a fire,” said Wristen.” The key is more people, more rotation, and longer rest times.”

Recycling

Because the turnouts are such an integral, yet costly part of a firefighter’s arsenal, when the new turnouts arrive, the old turnout becomes the backup. Long says that every member of his department has two sets. The back-up turnout, provided it still meets the minimum standards, comes in handy when the primary set becomes wet, dirty, or damaged.

But nothing is wasted within the department, says Long. Once a year, hoses, turnouts, and even the occasional fire engine are donated to a Mexican charity called the Bombaros.

“We used to donate our gear to local fire academies, but now they just rent the turnouts each year,” says Long. “We donate to Mexico the stuff we’re not comfortable using, but is much better than the gear they’re using.”