RSB PROTECTIVE GEAR - Lisbon Portugal Fire Department - 1998
The fire service in Portugal does not have an extensive history of using complete fire protective gear.
Turnout coats ("Nomex" type, with reflective strips) are commonly used now. However, heavy protective pants are not in use by Firefighters at this time.
Light jackets with reflective strips and lettering are used at car accidents and other emergency operations at night.
Leather or hard canvas turnout belts with metal hoistering rings (and also, frequently, small axes and/or lifelines) are carried when responding to an incident. Belts can be used as a rescue gear, namely to lower trapped people in a building (or the Firefighter himself) to the floor.
Commonly used boots are "Army type" ones. Longer, water proof, boots are also popular among some Portuguese firefighters.
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Helmets have been used in Portugal for many years. These days, more and more Departments use modern "international standard" helmets, made of highly resistent materials, with protective face-shields. However, a few years back, incident helmets were made of hardened leather or plain brass (these ones being now used for parade purposes only). Helmet colors are not yet fully standardized across the country.
In Lisbon, RSB personnel sport now a special helmet, with an extra back-skull protection (like Japanese ones). However, personnel from the co-existing 7 Volunteer FDs turn out with the also modern "international type" of helmet.
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The colors of Lisbon Firefighters' helmets are as follows:
RSB- Command and Officers : WHITE
RSB- Sub-Officers and below : BLACK
Volunteer FDs - Command (Officers) : WHITE
Volunteer FDs - Petty Officers : RED
Volunteer FDs - All others : YELLOW
The Portuguese Red Cross volunteers, when responding to a disaster situation (in Lisbon as elsewhere), will wear white helmets with the Red Cross marking. EMS personnel do not wear any helmets at all.
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Self contained breathing apparatus, used by the RSB and its co-operating 7 VFDs, in emergency operations in Lisbon, come from different manufacturers, including the French FANZY and provide enough air for ?15 minutes of operations. The compressed air is contained in one or two tanks on the wearer's back and the regulator is mounted on a hip belt.
Most medium and a few light pumpers have SCBA mounted in the cabs of the rigs so that Firefighters can don the SCBA enroute to the emergency. 4 to 6 SCBA units will be usually carried in each engine company, among cabin and locker stocks. A special RSB vehicle will carry extra SCBA units to any incident on request. There is no "cascade system" available in Lisbon. Empty tanks will be refilled at Stations. The use of SCBA is becoming more common as more plastics are finding their way into the households of Portugal and as Firefifghters are also getting trained accordingly.
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