Under Harsh Conditions, Firefighters Put Gear to the Test

Four firefighters worked feverishly Monday pulling hoses, deploying ladders and swinging sledgehammers to get to an unconscious man and drag him away from a searing fire, then entered a room that had turned into a 785-degree inferno to douse the flames.

In the process of checking the building for other occupants, they crawled blindly into tangled dead-end passages and fell through collapsing floors but found no one else trapped inside.

Fortunately, the victim in this blaze, Rugged Ron, a 165-pound dummy, was OK and will be around to be dragged away another day.

The four firefighters, one each from Wauwatosa, Waukesha, Racine and the North Shore Fire Department, were chosen as testers in a unique program in which 22 area fire departments are hoping to pool their resources to purchase new "turnouts" – the special coats and pants firefighters wear – and save a few bucks by buying in bulk.

To test the gear under realistic conditions, West Allis volunteered its fire simulation building at Station No. 2 at 2040 S. 67th Pl., a tower with winding stairways inside and out, narrow passages and a labyrinth of rooms stocked with various obstacle-course inventions.

The firefighters were looking for the fit and feel of the suits in all the situations they might face in a real fire – and real fire they got. The climax of the test involved entering a small, dark room in which two straw-stuffed mattresses had been set ablaze.

In two rounds of tests in the morning, the temperature in the room got to around 500 degrees Fahrenheit – about as hot as your kitchen oven can get on high bake. But in the third and last test of the day, the straw-stuffed mattresses exploded to 700 degrees before the testers even entered and hit 785 before they were done – hot enough to melt part of the visor of Waukesha firefighter Bryan Keup's helmet.

The Wauwatosa Fire Department sent firefighter Mike Sauer for the test, Racine sent Sue Paluricki, and the North Shore Fire Department offered Chris Chiappa.

The firefighters from the Racine, North Shore, Waukesha and Wauwatosa fire departments who are evaluating the gear will not know where the gear comes from and they will not know the cost of the bids when completing the evaluation.

“The financial cost of each of the gear has not been revealed yet,” Waukesha Battalion Chief Joe Hoffman said. “It will not be revealed until after the analysis.”

After Monday’s drills, the four firefighters will wear the turnout gear for a week during work. The gear will be ranked on comfort – fit and feel – and functionality.

The fire departments will meet later in June to award the contract to the best turnout gear. The contract to the winning company will be for three years with a two-year renewal.

Looking at the statistics for area fire departments, some departments only plan to purchase a few sets of turnout gear each year. By combining the purchases, the departments have better leverage as they go into the bidding process to purchase the gear.

“It is not an exclusive thing,” Hoffman said about the group’s purchases. “It is still open to other departments that may not have known about it.”

Area fire departments are anticipating purchasing between 102 and 221 sets of turnout gear each year during the next five years. Here are some of the statistics for fire departments in Patch communities:

2011

• Greendale: 4
• North Shore: 0
• Menomonee Falls: 4 to 5
• Oak Creek 1 to 2
• Tess Corners: 7 to 10
• City of Waukesha: 10
• Town of Waukesha: 6
• Wauwatosa: 75

2012

• Greendale: 4
• North Shore: 5
• Menomonee Falls: 4 to 5
• Oak Creek 1 to 2
• Tess Corners: 7 to 10
• City of Waukesha: 10
• Town of Waukesha: 6
• Wauwatosa: 10

2013

• Greendale: 4
• North Shore: 5
• Menomonee Falls: 4 to 5
• Oak Creek: 50
• Tess Corners: 7 to 10
• City of Waukesha: 10
• Town of Waukesha: 4
• Wauwatosa: 10

2014

• Greendale: 4
• North Shore: 5
• Menomonee Falls: 4 to 5
• Oak Creek 1 to 2
• Tess Corners: 7 to 10
• City of Waukesha: 10
• Town of Waukesha: 4
• Wauwatosa: 5 to 10

2015

• Greendale: 4
• North Shore: 90
• Menomonee Falls: 4 to 5
• Oak Creek 1 to 2
• Tess Corners: 7 to 10
• City of Waukesha: 10
• Town of Waukesha: 6
• Wauwatosa: 5 to 10