Crime & Safety

Four Fire Departments Experiment With New Gear

Blazing buildings, heavy hoses and slinging sledgehammers put three brands of gear to the test.

Firefighters from four departments, North Shore, Wauwatosa, Waukesha and Racine, tested three different brands of coats and pants Monday in West Allis. Fit, mobility and comfort were some of the key determinants as they crawled through a wire box, up and down numerous flights of stairs and even battled blazing mattresses.

The goal of the gear testing is to determine which gear set is the best buy for 22 departments that will bid jointly in the hope of receiving a better price than if they had bid individually.

Patch will bring you a full story tomorrow, including video of the testing and interviews with firefighters.

Find out what's happening in Fox Point-Baysidewith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.