As I have said before I like asking fellow fireman what they carry in their pockets, sometimes the answers will surprise you. Some answers you will get may be elaborate and well thought out, some may not carry anything. Whichever answer you get as long as it is practice for that firefighter it is a good answer. I just want to take a few minutes and share simple tool ideas I was introduced to a few years ago. I have modified the idea a little from the way I was shown because of my typical fire ground assignments.
As you can see in the above picture all that I used on this tool is a two-foot section of rope, and a simple cutting tool. This tool differs from the first idea I was shown in one way. The cutting tool pictured above is a shear style tool that requires two hands to effectively cut. The first design I was shown used a tool that could be unlocked, opened, and closed (for cutting) with one hand.
One reason I went with the tool picture above is because of fire ground assignment. I was shown this idea by a firefighter in a big city that is assigned to a heavy rescue unit, now there will come that one incident in my career where I only have one free hand, but for the most part I’m assigned to tools on the first in line therefore I believe this tool will be effective for me.
In the picture above all I have done is tied the rope through the handle of the rope, you can use whatever knot you want.
In the above picture, the tool has been placed into the pocket of my choice with the loop of the rope hanging outside the pocket. This allows you to slide your gloved hand into the loop for quick access when you need the tool during battle (shown below).
In the last two pictures above, you can see what the tool will do when pulled out of your pocket. This will hopefully prevent you from losing the tool should something happen, while you have it out and in use.
I hope that someone will find this helpful in someway, maybe you can create a modified approach to this tool or come up with an idea all your own.
Stay safe!
