choice?

[FutureFirekid]

when you become a full time firemen can you choose to wear the new gear or the OLD gear. Idk if chicago does it anymore but i personally would like to wear it

[FutureFirekid]

well.... can you choose to wear the 3/4 boots and long coat?

[FFSKPII]

When you get in a situation where steam comes up and under your coat or you go part way through the floor and you get burned because you were wearing 3/4 boots and a coat.......it may look cool, but if you want to keep things "in tact" i would wear coat and pants

[FyredUp]

well.... can you choose to wear the 3/4 boots and long coat?

Not with any fire department that follows NFPA. Even more importantly, not with any fire department that wants the best personal protection for their firefighters.

Frankly, get over the romantic notion of 3/4 boots and a long coat. The days of those are over with a very few limited exceptions.

[FutureFirekid]

well what are these limited opportuntie things you are talking about

[nameless]

typically you dont have much choice in what you use at a career dept. You get issued equipment and you use it. It'd be too expensive and difficult for a dept of any significant size to let people pick and choose what they wanted to use.

Also to you gear may be a fashion statement or personal choice, but to the FD and the municipality it is a cost issue. Not only of how much the gear costs and if they can get a volume discount, but if 3/4 boots and long coats have more incidents of burns that is money spent on the FF's hospital bill, his pay while he's out, and then OT to fill his spot.