GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The heat is here to stay, and no one knows this more than firefighters. They have to wear layers of clothes when going out to a scene.
“It's hot. Everybody knows how hot it is when we have to go to an alarm,” Grand Rapids Fire Department Assistant Chief Ed Braman said.
I received a news tip asking how firefighters are staying cool. So, I brought your question to the Grand Rapids Bravest on Thursday.
“Today, we cancel training, try to have everybody dress down in gym shorts and T-shirts, and pre-hydrate. The biggest thing is, if we do have a fire today, we try and limit our on-scene time,” Braman said.
I learned that Grand Rapids firefighters wear about 80 pounds of gear when battling a fire.
“If we can't get people off scene (we) try and get them out into air-condition fire truck. We've got plans in place that could work with the Rapid, put them on scene, just somehow, try and cool our people down."
The assistant chief let me try on his gear. We used a temperature gauge to understand how hot a person could get. Within minutes, the gauge indicated a 10-degree difference.
“So if you look, we have layers, see how it's literally quilted, then you have a vapor barrier. It's to seal in as much moisture and keep out all the heat. And try and keep (moisture) off of our skin so we don't like basically boil,” Braman said. “When we're encapsulated like that, it just magnifies that impact on the body. So we have to be cognizant of that as well.
The assistant chief explains that since becoming a firefighter, he has seen changes that prioritize a firefighter's well-being.
“Our people are pretty cognizant of what's going on, too. We've done this before. We know that we have to hydrate, but we also keep an eye on each other. That's the best part about this family here at the Grand Rapids Fire Department, is everybody's usually watching out for everybody else,” Braman said.
The department has had to deal with a couple of alarms, including one at a garage, this week.
“Some crews are running multiple fire alarms a day, every time they go out, they're putting their gear on and they're putting their mask on and they're going up with all their equipment, just in case something does happen,” Braman added.
