NSFD Hopes to Smoke Out Savings on New Turnout Gear for 22 Departments

Four firefighters hauled lengthy hoses, hoisted their gear through winding staircases and swung sledgehammers Monday in an effort to determine which set of gear was the best.

After suiting up for the third time, Chris Chiappa of the North Shore Fire Department tested the gear again against a 785-degree inferno of burning mattresses filled with straw. Smoke billowed out of the brick building, and the scent of burned Barbie dolls filled the air.

They crawled blindly through a box of crisscrossed wires and fell through collapsing floors all to save the victim in this blaze, Rugged Ron, a 165-pound dummy.

The four firefighters, one each from Wauwatosa, Waukesha, Racine and the NSFD, were chosen as testers in a unique program where 22 area fire departments are hoping to pool their resources to purchase new "turnouts" — the special coats and pants firefighters wear — and save a few bucks by buying in bulk.

"We’re making the vendors bid against each other, but it’s sheer numbers for them," NSFD Deputy Chief Andrew Harris said. "They’ll work hard to get this bid because they know 22 departments are currently involved."

To test the gear under realistic conditions, West Allis volunteered its fire simulation building at Station No. 2 at 2040 S. 67th Pl., a tower with winding stairways inside and out, narrow passages and a labyrinth of rooms stocked with various obstacle-course inventions.

The firefighters were looking for the fit and feel of the suits in all the situations they might face in a real fire — and real fire they got. The climax of the test put them in a small, dark room with two straw-stuffed mattresses that were set ablaze.

In two rounds of tests in the morning, the temperature in the room got up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit – about as hot as your kitchen oven can get on high bake. But in the third and last test of the day, the straw exploded to 700 degrees before the testers even entered and hit 785 before they were done – hot enough to melt part of the visor of Waukesha firefighter Bryan Keup's helmet.

After Monday’s drills, the four firefighters will wear the turnout gear for a week during work. The gear will be ranked on comfort, fit and feel and functionality.

The departments will meet later in June to award a three-year contract to the best turnout gear. By combining the purchases, the departments have better leverage as they go into the bidding process to purchase the gear.

"We wear through gear differently based on the position on the job, the training, how many fires we get," Harris said. So while NSFD will not be purchasing any gear this coming year, it will pick up a total of 105 sets through 2015.

"This is a good thing," Harris said. "We’re trying to save citizens money, but we’re ensuring that the firefighters have better gear."