By Carl J. Haddon
Does your personal protective equipment (PPE) travel with you? Do you take your gear home? What about those of us who have wildland gear, or USAR/special ops gear in addition to our standard issue turnout gear? How is that gear stored, and how does it travel from place to place with you? Surely you’re not one of those firefighters who stores his or her gear unprotected in the toolbox of your pick up or in the back seat of your car.
I’m one of those people who seems to always be loading and unloading my gear bag. As I was recently packing up for a training assignment overseas, it dawned on me that my gear bag should be considered an important part of my gear because it protects the stuff that protects me. In other words my gear bag is PPE for my PPE.
I am also one of those who has admittedly taken his gear bag for granted. Trip advisor tells me that my gear bag has travelled to 238 cities in 18 countries over the past few years. That is a ton of abuse, considering all of the airports and baggage handlers, to say nothing of what happens to it on scene or at a training event.
There are many gear bags on the market today, and we see them at all of the trade shows and fire expos. In so much as this magazine is focused primarily on apparatus and equipment, I would like to acknowledge the folks at True North for making a rolling duffle gear bag that takes a serious beating and comes back for more.
Some of the specs on the new True North Rolling Duffle (the Beast) are:
• Capacity: 7500 Cu. In.
• Materials: Ballistic™ Nylon, Nylon Webbing, Metal Hardware
• Weight: 8 lbs
• Dimensions: 14″H x 18″W x 30″L
When choosing a gear bag, consider a couple of important details (other than the word “FIREFIGHTER” printed across it). Loaded gear bags are heavy, and they’re even heavier if they’re soaked with moisture. A gear bag with heavy-duty wheels can make carting that bad boy around much easier on your back. The hardware, such as zippers, buckles, D-rings, and stitching at attachment points seem to be the first things to go south, so make sure that the bag you choose has the components and the construction that is/are sturdy enough to handle how you—and baggage handlers—treat your stuff.
For those who have to pay for their gear, PPE is expensive. The average cost of complete turnout gear, including helmet and boots, runs between $2,500 and $3,500 per set. We need to take care of the gear that takes care of us. A good, sturdy, and well made gear bag is certainly a worthwhile investment toward protecting our PPE.
More information on the True North Rolling Duffle can be found at: http://www.truenorthgear.com/catalog/products/travel-bags/rolling-duffle.
CARL J. HADDON is a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment editorial advisory board and the director of Five Star Fire Training LLC, which is sponsored, in part, by Volvo North America. He serves as assistant chief and fire commissioner for the North Fork (ID) Fire Department and is a career veteran of more than 25 years in the fire and EMS services in southern California. He is a certified Level 2 fire instructor and an ISFSI member and teaches Five Star Auto Extrication and NFPA 610 classes across the country.
