For firefighter feet, comfort is king
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Transcript of For firefighter feet, comfort is king
10/2/12 For firefighter feet, comfort is king
1/3www.firerescue1.com/fire-products/apparel/boots/articles/1284917-For-firefighter-feet-comfort-is-king/
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Home>F i reProducts>F i reBoots>Forf i ref i ghterf eet ,comfort i ski ng
May10,2012
Forfirefighterfeet,comfortiskingTheleathervsrubberbootdebatelandssquarelyonthesideofleather
BySarahM.SmartFireRescue1Staff
Firefightersoftenhavetothinkontheirfeetduringanemergency,buttheyalsothinkabouttheirfeet.Because,frankly,aretheremanythingsworsethansorefeetonthefireground?
Inthedebateoverwhichbootmaterialissuperior,aprettyclearwinnerhasemerged.
Thorogood,makerofbothrubberandleatherboots,offersalmosttwiceasmanymodelsofleatherstructuralbootasitdoesofrubberstructural(sevenandfour,respectively).Itstoptwosellersarebothleatherstructuralboots,accordingtoJeffBurns,vicepresidentUniform/FireDivisionofWeinbrenner,Thorogood'sparentcompany.
FanbaseFireRescue1Facebookfansalsooverwhelminglypreferleather:Only7percentofrespondentssaidrubberwastheirfirstchoice.
DeputyFireMarshalJonWilliamsofUnionCounty,N.C.,isalsoaCaptainatUnionvilleVolunteerFireDepartment.Hispreferencegoesfurtherthanmaterial:He'sa"hugefan"ofleatherGlobeMagnums.
"Ihavealaceup/zipsetatworkasfiremarshalandatraditionalpullonleatherformyvolunteerdepartment,"MarshalWilliamssaid,citingthecomfortashisdefiningcriterion.
"Theywearlikeatennisshoe,"hesaid.
Studieshaveshownthatleatherbootshelpreducephysicalinjuriesinfirefighters.
ANIOSHstudystillinprogresshassuggestedthatbecauseleatherbootsareaboutthreepoundslighterthanrubberboots,theyallowmoremobilityinthefeet,ankles,kneesandhips.
Italsosaysthatinalighterboot,thefirefighterhasabettersenseoffootingandasmallerriskofinjurytolowerlimbs.
Sowhydosomefirefightersstillchooserubber?
CostmattersSomeFacebookrespondentssaidrubberbootswereeasiertopullonduringquickdressdrills.Otherslikedthattheywerenaturallywaterproof,andstillotherssaidtheyweremoredurablethanleather.They'realsoagooddealcheaper.
Thorogood'stwotopsellers,bothofwhichareleatherstructuralboots,costuptotwiceasmuchasrubberboots,Burnssaid.
"Abouttheonlypositivethingaboutrubberisthatit'srelativelyinexpensive,"Burnssaid,addingthatitdoesn'tbreathewellandisheavyanduncomfortable.
Somefirefightersalsobelievethatrubberbootsareeasiertocleanwheninvolvedinahazmatsituation.
"Theprevailingthoughtfromeverybodyisifyougetintoacontaminant,youcouldrinseofftherubberandthrowawaytheleather,"Burnssaid.
ButastudybyW.L.Goreprovedtheopposite.Thecellularstructureofrubberactuallytrapshazardousmaterials,itsaid,whereasleathershedsmostchemicalsbyjustbeinghosedoff.
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10/2/12 For firefighter feet, comfort is king
2/3www.firerescue1.com/fire-products/apparel/boots/articles/1284917-For-firefighter-feet-comfort-is-king/
Rubberbootsalsocomewithabitoftradition.Manydepartmentshaveusedrubberbootssincethe1930s.
FirefighterHunterKnightoftheMoodyFireDepartmentinBirmingham,Ala.,saidthefirefighterswithlongertenureinhisdepartmentatfirsthonoredtraditionbystickingtorubberboots.Butnowtheyhavemostlyswitchedtoleather.
Andwhatisthebasisforthis?Newerleatherbootsaremorerigid,providingasimilarrigidsupporttorubber,FirefighterKnightsaid,especiallyforfirefighterswithankleissues.
PlusFirefighterKnightbelievesthecomfortofleatherissuperior.
"Youdon'twanttobesomewherewhereyou'resupposedtoconcentrateonthescenebutyou'refocusedonyourfeethurting,"headded."Ifyou'remorecomfortable,you'remoresafe."
AsFireRescue1'sPPEcolumnistsJeffandGraceStulloutlinedinapreviousarticle,theimportantaspectofchoosingbetweenrubberandleatherfootwearisweighyourorganization'sneedsanddecidewhichcharacteristicsaremoreimportant—weight,comfort/fit,performance,durability,contaminationresistanceandcost.
"Someofthesecharacteristicscanbedeterminedbyunderstandingotherdepartments'experienceswithspecificstylesoffootwearandtherelativeserviceprovidedbythefootwear,"theysaid.
"Aswithanytypeofpersonalprotectiveequipment,itisdifficulttoachieve100percentsatisfactionbetweenallfirefighters.However,itisimportantthatallfirefightersbeaffordedproperfittingfootwearthatprovidesanacceptablelevelofprotectionwithoutcompromisingtheirsafety."
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10/2/12 For firefighter feet, comfort is king
3/3www.firerescue1.com/fire-products/apparel/boots/articles/1284917-For-firefighter-feet-comfort-is-king/
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