Protective hoods keep firefighters safe from heat as they battle flames - but they are just as important to troops doing battle in Iraq.
For soldiers like Major David Niesen, a volunteer firefighter currently stationed in Ar Ramadi, the hoods help avoid serious burns in a land where hidden bombs can go off at any minute.
Niesen is part of a unit that finds and detonates Improvised Explosive Devices, or roadside bombs, so that other units can travel the roads safely.
He said the job is dangerous, and the equipment issued to soldiers is not always sufficient.
"The standard issue cold weather gear is all synthetic fibers and every firefighter knows that those fabrics melt to your skin when they're exposed to flames," Niesen explained to Firehouse.com.
That's why Niesen, along with the help of his Benton County, Wash. fire crew, is asking fire departments across the United States to donate hoods for U.S. troops.
Captain Jock Thompson is leading the Benton County Fire Department's hood drive. He says he is looking for protective hoods such as those made with NOMEX or PBI.
The project started as a local campaign, but Thompson said it has grown and grown.
"You can't wipe the smile off my face," he said.
Thompson says he has already received calls pledging hood donations from departments in Alaska, New York and Pennsylvania.
He said his biggest windfall came when a group in New York pledged to purchase $1,000 worth of hoods - and the seller vowed to match their donation.
Niesen said the hoods do not just protect soldiers from the heat. He said although many people assume it is always summer in Iraq, it gets cold there as well.
"When the weather is cold and the vehicle is moving, it doesn't take long for wind chill to have an effect," he said.
"The hoods are intended to provide some warmth and protection from the climate as well as providing protection from fire. Exposed personnel are at risk if the vehicle gets hit hard and catches fire. The hoods seemed like a fairly simple step to solve both problems at the same time."
Niesen said his unit has been lucky so far and have not had any soldiers burned. Still, they know how important the hoods are to keeping them safe.
"Our soldiers know first hand the value of (the hoods) because they had to treat the casualties that had synthetics melted to them, and not all the casualties survived their injuries," he said."
Captain Thompson said that if every fire department could just donate one hood, it would be a great help.
"They are over there fighting for our freedom, and we're back here taking care of the home front for them," he said.
The Benton County department is accepting hoods at,
Benton Co. Fire District 1
144610 East Law Lane
Kennewick, Washington 99337
Call Captain Thompson at 509-734-9100. The fire department's website is www.bentonone.org.
