By Carl J. Haddon
When we think about personal protective equipment (PPE), we often think about bunker gear, helmets, boots, and the like. That type of PPE is used, or should be used and worn, to protect us while on fire, rescue, or EMS calls right? I believe that there is another class or type of personal protective equipment that we can and should use in many other less dangerous—but equally as important—situations that we encounter on a daily basis. The type of products that I’m talking about here can also be instrumental in department morale, volunteer firefighter retention, and the overall image of your fire department.
Remember the old adage “you can’t judge a book by its cover?” That statement is spot on, but it has an inherent flaw. You can’t judge the contents of a book by its cover, however, the cover is the first impression that a book will make. Another old adage to live by is that “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” I believe that these same adages hold true for firefighters, which gets us to the meat and potatoes of this article.
The PPE I speak about are uniforms. Not all departments have budgets for firefighter uniforms. Not all departments with budgets provide uniforms for their personnel or have uniform policies. Believe it or not, not all fire departments issue badges to their firefighters who have earned them or are qualified to wear them. Please know that I’m not talking about the random issuance of Class A, Class B, and station wear uniforms to each of its members. That type of uniform policy is typically reserved for rural departments with VERY healthy budgets, and bigger municipal fire departments.
I have to admit that I am taken aback when I see and hear that there are still rural volunteer fire departments that don’t or won’t understand the wealth of value that can come from providing a “basic” firefighter’s uniform (other than blue jeans and a t-shirt). A pair of slacks or commercially available uniform pants, uniform belt, and a basic firefighter uniform shirt is not a huge capital outlay or a budget breaker, and, if it is a budget breaker, let me know and I’ll hook you up with some fundraising opportunities and possible private grant providers to help fund that need.
Forgive me if I sound highbrow, as I understand that there are many departmental needs and wants that go unfunded each year. There are, however, no more valuable assets in your department than your personnel. I know this from personal experience. A fire department that I formerly belonged to did not believe in uniforms other than providing a single t-shirt and a ball cap to the members once a year. They also did not believe in firefighter badges. The public opinion of the department was: “They’re just volunteers. What do you expect?” That department had a terrible morale and retention issue as well. With public opinion like that, was it any wonder why? Shortly thereafter, uniform shirts with department patches and badges were introduced to the department. The change in morale and the change in public opinion was nothing short of amazing. For the first time in the history of the department, the firefighters were proud to belong and, more importantly, they