Tradition Gives Way To Better Protection And Comfort
Oskaloosa Fire Chief Mark Neff shows the new helmet on the left, versus the traditional helmet on the right.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Firefighters are known for adhering to tradition, and being guardians of the past. A new piece of equipment will change the look of the firefighters in Oskaloosa.
Oskaloosa Fire Chief Mark Neff took some time this past week to introduce new helmets for the Oskaloosa Fire Department.
The new helmets look more like a motorcycle helmet versus the wide brim traditional look many of us are used to.
One of the most obvious benefits to the new helmets is the protection firefighters will have from side impacts to the head.
Another benefit to the new helmets versus the traditional helmet is being able to keep the helmet on in more situations. The older helmets would fall off if the firefighter was the bend over in situations like helping a crash victim from their vehicle.
Neff said that it was time to replace helmets, which need to be replaced every ten years.
According to Neff, the new concept in helmets isn’t actually all that new, as fire departments in Europe have used the design for decades.
“They are much more ergonomically designed, and they fit on your head more like a motorcycle helmet,” explained Neff of the new helmets. “They just feel more balanced on your head when you have them on. You can actually bend over and pick something up and not pick your helmet up with the other hand.”
After testing a few demo helmets,”The guys put them on and wore them, and liked them.”
“Sometimes we get a little pushback, you know, from tradition, but this was a move that everybody wanted to do,” says Neff.
“I don’t like to make change just to make change, but we’ve done some research on them, I wore some of them at some training evolutions. Really liked the way they felt,” added Neff. “My neck was not near as tired at the end of the day.”
“You think about what we do on the highways and car accidents. It’s not just firefighting anymore, we do so many more things, and we have to have head protection,” said Neff. “Traditional fire helmets, while they work great for structural firefighting, they’re not designed for all-around protection.”
As old traditional helmets expire, they will be replaced by the new style.
The new helmets are also substantially lighter and sit lower on the firefighters head versus on top of the head, which was held there by the inside suspension of the helmet.
There is a longer cape that comes out of the helmet that helps to divert water and hot embers onto the back of the coat.
There has been a little bit of ribbing from outside departments in regards to the new helmets, as Oskaloosa may be the first department in the state to deploy these types of helmets.
“It’s okay. Most of it’s been in fun,” added Neff. “If we didn’t change once in a while, we’d still be running around with horses pulling wagons.”
“So when it comes to the safety of the firefighters, I don’t care what it looks like. If it’s functional, and if it’s going to give my people a better opportunity of survival if something happens, that’s what we’re going to do,” Neff said.
