The Fire Fighters' Uniform |
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Fire Helmet made from Kevlar
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The helmet
The firefighter’s helmet is made of a very
hard plastic called Kevlar. There are two coloured helmets. Yellow
for the fire fighters and white for the officers.
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On the front of the helmet
is a plastic visor that protects the firefighters face from sparks and
heat.
The main reason firefighters wear the helmet is
to protect their heads from falling debris but also to cover their
hair which could catch fire very easily if it was not protected. |
The jacket and trousers
The firefighters jacket and trousers are fire proof
and made of a special material called NOMEX. This material is very
light and strong and is easily worn. It was first used for the racing
drivers in the Grand Prix’s and then developed for the Fire Service. |
"NOMEX was first used for
the racing drivers in the Grand Prix"
Firefighters NOMEX jacket |
The gloves
Firefighters wear thick fireproof gloves to protect
their hands from the heat and from broken debris such as glass. |
Firefighters gloves |
The boots
The boots are large rubber wellington boots. They
have metal toecaps to protect your toes and little rubber handles at
the top to help the firefighter pull them on very quickly.
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Firefighters boots |
The boots have very thick
soles to protect the firefighter if they step on any sharp objects such
as broken glass and nails.
Firefighters never tuck their trousers into their
boots. They allow their trousers to hang over their boots; this stops
anything, fragments or burning embers, from dropping down inside. |
The torch
The torch is used to help the firefighter find
their way in very dark places. It can also help other firefighters
keep in touch and see each other. |
A right angle safety torch |
The breathing apparatus (BA)
The breathing apparatus is a cylinder worn on the
firefighters back which is full of air. A tube runs from the cylinder
to a rubber facemask that allows the fire fighter to breathe safely
when they are in very thick smoke or, when the air around them might
be full of very dangerous things such as gases or chemicals. |
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus
at an incident
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