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English > Fighting Fires > Firefighters > Equipment
Since the early days of firefighting, many major advances have been made in the equipment and tools that a firefighter uses. Today, many tools are made specifically for creating fire lines, and specialized equipment is manufactured for firefighters.
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Pulaski: Probably the most famous firefighting tool is the Pulaski. It is named after Edward Pulaski, a hero of the 1910 fires. Invented in the winter of 1910, it combines an ax and a hoe into one of the most useful hand tools firefighters use. Pulaskis are so important that they are used in almost every aspect of fighting wildfires including building fire lines (read more) and extinguishing hotspots.
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Combi: Another important tool for making fire lines. Combies have a military-style trenching blade on one end and a pick on the other.
Council Rake: Used in the South to drag away pine needles and other light, flammable material.
Flappers and McLeods (shown at left) are also used on fire lines, depending on the terrain.
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Backpack Pump: Sometimes the traditional weapon against fires is the best one. Water can be carried in a small portable backpack pump, and is best used against small fast running fires in light fuels. Firefighters spray water on the fuel at the base of the flames (a spray is more effective than a straight stream). Wetting fuel down in this manner is almost always followed by building a fire line.
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Chainsaw: One of the biggest advances in firefighting equipment was the chainsaw. When they became light enough for firefighters to carry, they enabled crews to cut fire lines in timber much faster than when they had to cut trees with Pulaskis or axes.
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When fighting fires, safety is the topmost concern. Every firefighter, including smokejumpers, wears a plastic helmet, goggles, scarf, fire shirt, fire jeans, gloves, and steel-toed boots with thick soles. They also carry a first aid kit, three pairs of earplugs, a headlamp, and a small fire resistant tent called an emergency shelter, as well as two canteens, a three-pound sleeping bag and pad, a battery, field pack, and a pack for personal gear. To supply a firefighter with all these items costs about $473. To see a list of the base camp supplies for that are needed for an average camp 250 firefighters, go to Missoulian.com's special graphical supplement "Tools of The Trade".
© ThinkQuest Team C0119184 :: Credits & Sources
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