Author Topic: Helmets - wearing the wrong one (Read 29467 times)

rescue5271 · « **Reply #50 on:** July 31, 2007, 08:46:50 PM »

BR9 are a very light weight helmet and have been passed for use for RCR brigade's and they are lots cheaper than what we are using....Look the who PPE/PPC gear is getting way out of hand and sooner or later something will happen because someone took the wrong gear to the job...Robert was that member wearing the new PBI stuff?? if not nothing wrong with wearing level 3 nomex to a job just remove the liner.........

RescueHazmat · « **Reply #51 on:** July 31, 2007, 08:56:24 PM »

Quote from: Robert34 on July 31, 2007, 06:00:50 PM

I dont wanna get into a heated debate so please let me say my piece without getting scorned at

Mid last year my brigade responded to a small scrub fire on the Wandilo Road and one of our lieuys got told off by the Group Officer for wearing his Structual Fire Fighting PPE & helmet instead of his Rural Fire Fighting PPE and helmet

There is one way we could avoid the mix up of putting on the wrong gear and that is have 2 seperate Gear Bags 1 for structual and the other for Rural thus separating both PPE sets

But thats just my opinion

As long as he didn't have PBI on rob, then I can't see the problem.

Red Truck Wonderland · « **Reply #52 on:** August 01, 2007, 12:44:57 AM »

what is the policy on PBI without the liner?

I thought that Lion would not accept responsibility for injury etc..?

May be wrong but i'm sure someone could correct me. after all it's designed to have the liner in, and removed when being washed....

Is this a common practice amounst some brigades to wear PBI minus the liner?

?

RTW

RescueHazmat · « **Reply #53 on:** August 01, 2007, 01:02:52 AM »

I think they meant the L3 nomex without the liner mate.

I don't believe it is common practice to remove the liner from PBI.. - Well, It shouldn't be.

SA Firey · « **Reply #54 on:** August 01, 2007, 11:50:44 AM »

Quote from: RescueHazmat on August 01, 2007, 01:02:52 AM

I think they meant the L3 nomex without the liner mate.

I don't believe it is common practice to remove the liner from PBI.. - Well, It shouldn't be.

Correct Rescue

Robert-Robert34 · « **Reply #55 on:** August 01, 2007, 07:52:16 PM »

Alan J · « **Reply #56 on:** August 04, 2007, 03:40:25 PM »

Harking back to the question a page or so ago which I don't think was directly answered - why do we have different helmets for rural & structural ?

Two different AS standards
In very broad terms, Rural helmets have less impact resistance & are ventilated to help the wearer shed heat. Same as rural PPE.

Structural helmets are designed to insulate the wearer from a hot-gas environment, as well as protect from the higher likelihood of severely banging one's noggin.

Something like 20% of body heat is lost through the head even though it's only 9% of your body surface. Allowing for further reduced ability to shed heat through PPE, wearing a structure helmet at a rural fire has a significant impact on your ability to regulate body heat & consequential loss of stamina. But not as significant as wearing PBI Gold. Whether that physical loss is offset by the $$ saving & convenience of a single helmet is something our decision-makers can argue one day with workcover. Maybe.

regards

SA Firey · « **Reply #57 on:** August 04, 2007, 04:56:00 PM »

I know which helmet I prefer to protect me.

RescueHazmat · « **Reply #58 on:** August 04, 2007, 06:18:04 PM »

Yeah exactly, you may be able to shed a few more % of body heat with a rural helmet, but goodluck with anything falling on your head!

Alan J · « **Reply #59 on:** August 04, 2007, 10:47:09 PM »

I take it I can't interest you blokes in a Protector Safety AS1801 type 3 plastic fantastic then...

Must admit, I've been wearing a Cairns so long I can't imagine wearing anything lighter, even if it does stew my few remaining grey cells.

SA Firey · « **Reply #60 on:** August 05, 2007, 02:15:39 PM »

Ive road tested a bushwacker and can prove that it wont protect your head....especially when a 34 runs over the top of it

bittenyakka · « **Reply #61 on:** August 05, 2007, 03:41:27 PM »

Quote from: SA Firey on August 05, 2007, 02:15:39 PM

Ive road tested a bushwacker and can prove that it wont protect your head....especially when a 34 runs over the top of it

What. I know how to fix that Don't put your head under a 34

uniden · « **Reply #62 on:** August 05, 2007, 03:52:17 PM »

Maybe some of the members of this group should stick their helmets under a 34 with their head still in it..lol.

Chance · « **Reply #63 on:** August 05, 2007, 06:31:54 PM »

Just quickly, still relatively new, but if you go for a bush fire wether first response or strike team, your meant to wear PBI right? so what happens if that bush fire causes a house to go up, as does happen, would you just do your thing staying out of the house or maybe call in an appliance with people wearing level 3 or gold? also how do you tell if your pants and boots are level 1, 2, or 3? recently i read something about having liners in pants??? and what is the difference between rural and structural boots? sorry for my ignorance/

SA Firey · « **Reply #64 on:** August 05, 2007, 06:50:20 PM »

Quote from: uniden on August 05, 2007, 03:52:17 PM

Maybe some of the members of this group should stick their helmets under a 34 with their head still in it..lol.

I know who will be first

RescueHazmat · « **Reply #65 on:** August 05, 2007, 07:01:09 PM »

Quote from: Chance on August 05, 2007, 06:31:54 PM

Just quickly, still relatively new, but if you go for a bush fire wether first response or strike team, your meant to wear PBI right? so what happens if that bush fire causes a house to go up, as does happen, would you just do your thing staying out of the house or maybe call in an appliance with people wearing level 3 or gold? also how do you tell if your pants and boots are level 1, 2, or 3? recently i read something about having liners in pants??? and what is the difference between rural and structural boots? sorry for my ignorance/

If you do a brief search across the board you should be able to find all the relative info...

mattb · « **Reply #66 on:** August 07, 2007, 03:13:03 PM »

Only problem with Cairns 660 is they are no longer made in the 'Gold' Yellow. MSA Australia only make them in that poxy Lime Green Yellow colour.

Apparently they are still made in the Gold in the US but they are not certified to the Australian Standards - even though they are the same helmet.

The Pacific is probably the other reasonable structure helmet to go for but our brigade has always had Cairns, so we would like to stick with them. If anyone has any new Yellow Cairns 660 helmets in their brigade that they would be willing to part with please let me know.

SA Firey · « **Reply #67 on:** August 07, 2007, 06:11:07 PM »

Scott Aspens Structure helmets are still available in Gold yellow Matt

Crank · « **Reply #68 on:** August 07, 2007, 06:43:34 PM »

I use a pacific....Fits nice and comfy on my head.

Just need a break every hour or your neck starts to get sore and you get a headache.

RescueHazmat · « **Reply #69 on:** August 07, 2007, 06:50:41 PM »

MattB - The Pacific Structural in the Gold Yellow would definately be the closest to the Cairns660. Another option is if you get new White Cairns, just change the Harness out.. - Or try and purchase new Harnesses seperately.. (Not an option when the helmet is being replaced due to damage obviously)..

mattb · « **Reply #70 on:** August 10, 2007, 04:10:21 PM »

Yes I think a new harness might be the way to go for at least one of our helmets, we looked at the pacific and they look ok, only thing is we have lots of spare visors and bits n pieces for the Cairns so we would really like to stay with those if possible. It's bad enough having BR9's and Cairns helmets, to bring in a Pacific means another lot of spare parts we have to store as well.

RescueHazmat · « **Reply #71 on:** August 10, 2007, 04:52:27 PM »

Understandable.. - Only suggested the Pacific Structural as a replacement if you could no longer source yellow cairns from anywhere. - I agree keeping with the cairns as long as possible sounds the best way to go.

6739264 · « **Reply #72 on:** August 12, 2007, 10:45:26 AM »

There really is no 'wrong' helmet. For some reason the service has decided to issue cut price bullshit 'rural' helmets. Its simple really, you get on the truck with the maximum level of PPE that you may be required to wear. You get turned out on your 34P to Grass Alight, then take your PBI set, L1 tunic and structural helmet. Why I hear you ask? Well, simple really, what happens if you're coming home from your Grass Alight and get turned out to something along the lines of House Alight - Persons Reported... What are you going to do without your structural gear?

Either that, or the CFS need to issue bags to store your second set of in and have it on the truck still, but in all honesty the PBI pants aren't that much worse in terms of heat etc etc...

Author Topic: Helmets - wearing the wrong one (Read 29467 times)

rescue5271

uniden