Wildland firefighters are often engaged in dangerous fire suppression operations, particularly in responding to wildland fires and providing mutual aid to prevent the spread of fire at an unprecedented scale. And due to the risky nature of their work, they are required to wear proper protective fire-resistant clothing and gear so they won’t be exposed to extreme heat and to prevent getting injured while saving the lives and properties of other people. In short, they are required to wear structural firefighting PPE.

But now the question is: What kind of firefighter PPE is needed during these kinds of situations? If you’re interested to know more, then we invite you to continue reading as we are going to tackle this topic about wildland PPE needs for structural firefighters in today’s entry.

What Do Firefighters Need To Combat Wildland Fires

The PPFD has created a 2005 edition of the standard on protective clothing & equipment for wildland fire suppression guidelines based on the recommendations set by the NFPA. So to have more information about this, we will give you the list of wildland PPE needs for structural firefighters in this section:

Protective Clothing – A structural firefighter must wear a jumpsuit, overpants, and Nomex shirt. These garments are required so they are fully protected from the dangers they are going to face.

Head Protection – A standard firefighter helmet with a ratcheting system is also required to protect their heads from bugs, rocks, and falling branches as well as dirt, retardant, bad tool placement, and any other elements that can hit the head and cause injuries.

Eye Gear – A set of ANSI-approved sunglasses or safety glasses to keep the smoke and debris away from the eyes as well as from any stuff that might smack the face of the firefighter during their fire suppression operation.

Neck Shroud – A separate neck shroud should be worn around the neck and pulled up on the face to provide added protection. Another option to wear is another type of neck shroud that can also hold the N95 mask to provide optimal respiratory protection.

Gloves – A simple leather driver gloves may be sufficient, but we recommend wearing NFPA compliant gloves as much as possible that provides wrist and cuff protection.

Boots – This equipment may be the hardest to get right as there are many factors to consider like durability, wear, and comfort. But nonetheless, you must wear a type of boots that is appropriate for the situation and is capable of providing overall protection to the firefighter’s feet.

Aside from these, the guidelines also indicate other required items such as:

• Chaps
• Chainsaw leg protection
• Line pack
• Fire shelter
• Headlamp
• Hand tools
• Chest harness
• Weather kit
• Flagging
• Dispenser
• Ear plugs (optional)

And most important of all, the firefighters also need sustenance while facing the dangers at work in the fireline. So they also need food and water while engaging in fire suppression.

Final Words

All in all, these are the wildland PPE needs that every structural firefighter should have during wildfire situations.

And to make sure you wear the best PPE for firefighters, check out CrewBoss as their products are purposely built to satisfy NFPA 1584 requirements to ensure overall protection and safety. Visit their website today for more information.