Firefighter Personal Protective Equipment History

Firefighter Protective Equipments Early American firefighters had to face not only fire and the effects of heat with little or no water supply , but also the debilitating effects of smoke with nothing at all to protect them . As was the case for firemen all over the world , they could not effectively operate under the heavy smoke conditions encountered during structure fires

Fire service folklore recounts the practice of firemen growing long beards to help them breathe heavy smoke . The theory was a fireman would dip his whiskers in a pail of water

, and then clinch his wet beard between his teeth and breath through his mouth , using the wet beard as a filter

As a practical answer to overcoming the difficulties of breathing smoke , many seemingly strange and unusual inventions were tried . One of the earliest recorded attempts was in France , where the "Apparatus Aldini " was tested in 1825 . This was a thick mask of asbestos worn over the head . Another mask made of woven iron wire was placed over the first . The device provided a small margin of heat protection , provided the wearer was able to maintain the air space between the two masks and not allow the iron mask to touch the inner mask . It is believed this mask provided the wearer only the small amount of trapped air within for breathing

The functionality of the mask left much to be desired , but the scientific testing by Aldini was ground breaking . He conducted tests of his apparatus under actual fire conditions . This was the start of serious efforts to protect firefighters from smoke as they operated at fires . Many strange and unusual-looking devices were invented manufactured and tried on the foreground with a wide range of results and effectiveness

Two years before Aldini 's device was in use , a patent was issued to Charles Anthony Deane for a smoke and diving apparatus . This system consisted of a closed helmet , flexible air tubes and a pump . The air was directed across the glasses in the front of the helmet to clear breathing condensation . This apparatus was apparently used with some success by firefighters in London and Paris

In 1824 , a miner named John Roberts came up with a "smoke respirator " or hood , that would allow a person "to enter a dense smoke condition without any danger " Various types of filter masks were developed and used by firemen in Europe and the United States . In 1861 an inventor named Bradbrooke devised a "smoke and noxious vapour respirator " designed to allow a person to "enter a building however dense the smoke or vapor might be without injury

James Braidwood , the Superintendent of the London Fire Brigade invented another type of hose mask at about the same time . To supply air and protect the firefighter from smoke , a tube was connected to an air pump to the engine outside the fire building (The Gazetteer . A stout leather dress and hood were worn to protect the wearer from heat and flames . Thickly...