COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah (ABC4) – Part of being a firefighter means getting out the door fast. That means going from relaxing at the station to getting fully dressed and out the door as soon as possible. ABC4 News put that to the test in this edition of Behind the Badge.
Rachel Walker, a firefighter with the Unified Fire Authority Station 110 in Cottonwood Heights, said firefighters only have two minutes to get out the door. Only 45 seconds of that is getting fully dressed in full gear.
The first thing firefighters put on is a protective hood, protecting the ears and neck from any potential flames and heat. Next are their pants and boots, which are placed together efficiently to be able to slip on quickly without having to wrestle with each individually. Next, firefighters put on their jackets and gloves before finally putting their helmets on their heads.
It can be a lot to put on under 45 seconds as ABC4’s Brian Carlson found out.
Carlson raced against the clock – and the firefighters of Station 110 – to see if he could match the speed needed to get to an emergency as quickly as possible.
From the moment the tone sounded for a simulated emergency, the crews were out of the chairs and rushing to get dressed. While the professionals at the station were finished with time to spare, Carlson was still working to get his jacket fully zipped. In the end, he was a full 15 seconds slower than the crew and 12 seconds behind the 45-second time limit.
Walker said there are a lot of different pieces that go into making sure the gear is on correctly but being able to do it fast and efficiently goes a long way to getting out the door and helping people as quickly as they can.
As for oxygen masks and air tanks, those are already in the fire truck and ready to go if needed. Firefighters will add that to their gear when they get on the scene.
