SmokeJumper Gear

Bruce in MD

Bruce in MD

Joined
Apr 14, 2002
Messages
13
I had a lot of helpful input on equip for a new firefighter for my son who's just starting out. Here's a slightly different topic: my nephew (his cousin) is a smoke jumper involved in the big fires burning up the west right now.

Any suggestions for DIFFERENT gear that a smoke jumper might need other than what was on the "new firefighter" list (flashlight, watch, knife, EMT shears, multitool)?

He's not a very acquisative (sp?) young man, so he didn't ask for anything when I offerred to help him out - maybe you all can help his old uncle surprise him with some piece of personal gear that might be really useful.

Thanks
 
Most the the Fireguys/gals I met while "scouting" fire on the Hayman Incident enviously eyeballed my Leitz mini-binos. I am sure a quality pair of mini-binos would be appreciated. Be safe!
 
Man, that's GREAT!!

Order from SWFA for Steiner Predator 8x22's (plus cleaning kit) enroute even as I write this.
 
Bruce, you can check this company out. They seem to carry quite a bit of the smoke jumper equipment, from gloves to small helicopter drop tanks.

www.nationalfirefighter.com

All the best to both of those smoke-eaters. :)
 
A pair of insulated Danner boots would be a great asset. Comfy, protective and offering support and some heat protection. On a more pedestrian level, good mosquito repellent is a major plus.
 
and get a low profile one without any cargo ability so that he can slip it inside or under his firefighting pack.
 
Great idea! Looking at Camelbaks on the web is kinda hard because they don't sort them the way you suggest.

Please recommend a specific model if you have one in mind...
 
Also try the forums over at www.firehouse.com you may find a smokejumper or two over there :) .

I asked your question on firehouse.com ,under the 'wildland firefighting" part of the forums.
 
Most any of the very basic Camelbaks should work for inside-and-outside use with another backpack. Most of the bare-bones hydration systems, whether Camelbak, Blackburn, Hydrapack, Platypus, etc. simply slip the bladder into a insulated sleeve.

There are also special sleeve or bladder covers from DaKine with metallic coatings, layups, layers, whatever, that work to reflect heat in very hot conditions.

One recommendation is to get a system with as wide an opening as possible. Adding ice is easier, as is getting down into the nooks and crannies to properly clean out the bladder. There are also special ice trays that make ice "rods" or "posts" that slip into bladders with even some of the smaller/earlier openings.

In addition, Camelbak has a line of systems designed not only for recreational and government/military use, but also specifically for industrial and occupational uses.

http://www.camelbak.com/occ/products.cfm

They have a couple of high-visibility orange and green systems for highway workers, and one with nomex covers. In their military section, they show an adapter kit which allows for the use of a Camelbak with protective M17, M70, M40, MCU2P, and C4 face masks.

There's probably a half-dozen or so larger players in the hydration pack biz, plus other backpack makers that are incorporating hydration bladders into their existing designs. Run a search on "hydration pack" and prepare to do some surfing. :)
 
I've never used a hydration system, so everything you told me is new stuff. It helps a lot!
Thanks for that.

Also, thanks to the earlier poster who sent the question over to the Wildland FF forum. I'll watch there for answers, too.
 
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