Keeping cool at DFD

By Kim Sloan
Dalton Daily Citizen

May 10, 2008 10:03 pm

— When Douglas Kerns and a group of his fellow Dalton firefighters walked into a local department store recently, they were mistaken for bicycle cops.
That happened a month after Dalton firefighters began wearing cotton dark blue shorts and a dark blue shirt with the fire department logo.
The public is not used to seeing firefighters in shorts and shirts.
“We don’t want to confuse the public,” said Dalton Fire Chief Barry Gober.
The uniform switch is a change from the traditional summer uniform that consisted of shorts made of Nomex, a flame-resistant but expensive material.
The department considered the change for two years. Costs was one of the main reasons for the switch, Gober said
“When it gets warm, they used to wear T-shirts and gym shorts,” Gober said. “They can get two sets of these for what one pair of Nomex costs.”
Firefighters are allotted a uniform allowance each year and must be in a standard uniform while on duty.
The shorts and shirts are made out of cotton, an all-natural fiber. Firefighters can add their fire protective suits over the new uniforms. The outfits are in compliance with the National Fire Protection Association, which sets standards for fire departments across the country.
Firefighters cannot wear clothes made out of synthetic fibers.
“You would have to peel it off if you got extremely hot and you would peel off every layer of your skin,” Gober said.
The department may expand their uniform choices to khaki pants and a golf shirt that firefighters will wear when they travel for training, Gober said.

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