A drive to get protective fire hoods to United States soldiers has a positive outcome - but not the way organizers planned.
On Jan. 23, Firehouse.com published a story publicizing efforts by Captain Jock Thompson and the Benton County, Wash. fire crew to get hoods to soldiers stationed in Ramadi.
Donations began pouring in from all over the country. But, by Jan. 27, Thompson received a call from a military official saying his efforts were no longer needed; that the military would be supplying troops with the hoods from now on.
The Washington fire department first learned about the need for protective hoods from one of their own.
Major David Niesen, a member of the Benton County fire department is also a soldier in Iraq. He said the hoods normally issued by the military were inadequate - the synthetic fibers melted in the event of an explosion, and they failed to keep soldiers warm during cold winter weather.
Captain Thompson said he now has about 100 donated hoods on-hand, and those will be shipped overseas to U.S. soldiers as planned. He said some departments contacted him to tell them they would be shipping the hoods, and he has been doing his best to contact those people and inform them of the change. But other departments simply gave without warning.
He suggests that any department that purchased hoods with the intent of donating them to U.S. troops donate them to fire stations that may not be able to afford them.
"There is a great need out there," he said.
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