SALEM New gear for fighting wildfires

One chief said the gear is ideal for fighting fires in wooded areas because it is lightweight.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- Four area township and community volunteer fire departments are among 15 in Ohio's 30th Congressional District to receive Ohio Department of Natural Resources grants.
State Sen. Greg DiDonato of Dennison, D-30th, said Franklin Township, Negley, Washington Township and West Point volunteer fire departments will each receive up to 10 sets of wildland protective equipment.
The gear includes fire shelters, helmets, gloves, goggles, and shirts and pants made of a lightweight, fire-retardant material.
Jerry Hoon, Negley fire chief, upon learning of the award to his department, said Thursday, "I'm tickled to death."
Hoon said the 27 active firefighters of the Negley department are responsible for fire protection in Middleton and portions of St. Clair townships, including the Fredericktown area and Beaver Creek State Park.
The department also has a mutual-aid agreement with neighboring Beaver County, Pa., which has many wooded acres, Hoon said.
Benefits of gear: The lightweight coverall-type pants and shirts will be more efficient and comfortable for firefighters battling a fire in wooded areas, Hoon explained.
Wearing the traditional heavy pants, coats and gloves, known as turnout gear, along with air packs and other equipment, is cumbersome when fighting wildlands fires, he said. Weighted down with the necessary gear, firefighters tire easily when battling the fire.
"You have to chase it," Hoon said. "It's up and down hills. This will be much better."
The ODNR's Wildland Fire Personnel Protective Equipment grants are administered by the Division of Forestry specifically to fire departments that protect wildlands in Ohio with populations less than 10,000, a DiDonato spokesman said.
"The men and women who staff these fire departments protect our wildlands as well as our communities," DiDonato said. "It is imperative they are provided with the safest equipment available."