These structure gloves are terrible. Why doesn’t the department buy us better ones? I can’t work with these stupid gloves on.”
How many times have you heard this before? At your last fire, you might even have had the same thoughts yourself. The fact is that many of us have difficulty operating basic tools and equipment while wearing our structure gloves. Even our personal protective equipment and the SCBA on our back can be difficult to manipulate while wearing these thick, large gloves. But, is the real problem with the gloves? Or, is it a training issue? The truth is that, with training, anyone can operate with a high level of proficiency while wearing the most cumbersome structure gloves.
Regardless of what others may say, wearing gloves that do not meet the requirements of NFPA 1971, Standard on Protective Ensemble for Structural Fire Fighting, inside a structure fire is not something up for debate. Only NFPA-compliant structure gloves will provide the required level of protection needed in a fire. Even though some firefighters have operated with “leather work gloves” inside fires and have not been burned doesn’t mean it is a safe practice. These firefighters have just been lucky. They operate with these lighter, thinner gloves because it is easier than training with their structure gloves. It is a simple matter of choosing between what is right and what is easy. Like anything else, the more you practice, the better you will get at working with these gloves.
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