By Douglas Mitchell Jr.
Quite often, I have seen firefighters and fire officers using utility gloves in firematic simulations during training evolutions. FIRE GLOVES ARE FOR FIRES! Therefore, when you are training and drilling on FIREMATIC operations, you MUST be wearing your firefighting gloves.
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In the training environment, we must simulate the most realistic challenges and “real feel” conditions as close as possible. Short cuts and/or using lower levels of personal protective equipment during these simulations do nothing but give false senses and breed bad habits. Use the gear that you would when you go to a fire—in your training.
If your fire gloves have terrible dexterity and are in poor shape, get new gloves…don’t take shortcuts by putting your utility gloves on! FIRE GLOVES FOR FIRES!
Douglas Mitchell Jr. is a lieutenant with the Fire Department of New York and an instructor with Traditions Training, LLC.
