Your helmet and helmet discussion

[IzzyEng4 427]

I though this would be a fun topic to disscuss the thing we put on top of our head. We all have a favorite that we wear or which we could wear or seen designs that we though just might not ever take hold.

For myself, I've always liked the New Yorkers, old and new. Currently I have a N5A with bourkes. I had to take out the ratchet since it was broken and had to cut out the ear flaps recently (don't worry I wear a hoodand have done so even before I did) since they were really comming apart. I purchased it back in '95 , it was black and repainted it when yellow per my FD SOP's as being a line officer. Needless to say this one will be retired soon. It's been through a lot but I know that it has to be hung up on the wall now. I will purchase a newer N5A with the same out of the box set up in black.

I started out with the "salad bowl" style and hated it, every aspect. I then was issued a first genration 1010, which I still have, with a face shield. Except for the shield, I like it. I've always had problems with the shield being scrached up and melting during training or a call. I'm not big on shields and I do wear saftey glasses or goggles that are NFPA / OSHA rated when needed. I think borkes hold up better to the extremes and deflect water better, but not useful for extrication et. al. Also during this time I got a relative's old New Yorker that was made in the 1980's. Needless to say, Fires I wore the NY and rescues I wore the 1010.

So that is what I have worn and still wear. What about everyone else? And let's post other helmets pro's and cons to help other decide what to get. Also What's on your helmet for fronts, stickers, and the trusty rubber band tools.

Let's not be negative here either and knock what someone else wears, just your opinion or experiences.

Izzy

[foreman1923 22]

I myself love my morning pride ben 2 with the bourkes i think it is the second best thing to the n5a without hurting your pocket as much. I can't find any flaws at all in this helmet its comfortable as hell. When i first started i got the "look there is a probie helmet" or a yellow metro and then was issued a 1010 which i hated b/d of how it sat on my head and the ratchet always loosed up on its own.

[Guest EMSCOMM80]

What are the pro's and con's of a leather helmet vs. a 1010?

[Guest DADAY]

Leathers are nice. I had one. But they are VERY heavy compared to a 1010 or a Ben2. Also the pirces is crazy. I like the 1010 or the ben2 best bang for the buck.

Still have a N5A mounted on a plaque.

[houlidsa 76]

the pros & cons are: 1010 pros - light weight, seperatable impact cap, great thermal protection, good impact protect (1000 is better though), no absorption, low maintence, inexpensive 1010 cons - wide brim, can ride a little high even after being adjusted correctly, over all height is high; Cairns leathers pro - the best impact protection available the leather acts like a catcher's mit from falling objects like slate tiles thats why they're huge in new england, good strength in leather cons - will absorb chemicals, heavy, need constant up keep, expensive

I wear a N6A Sam Houston leather w/ bourkes & ESS detachable goggles, I also own a 1010 w/ full faceshield & an old N5A no brain bucket and I am issued a 660C metro w/ full faceshield. I have worn them all, i theory the 660C is the best of the bunch weight, size and design but I love my leather and am will to take care of it so it takes care of me not ruin it just to look cool

[mfc2257 464]

Leather forever !

Black Sam Houston with Bourkes. I took the Green reflectors off and put a black 1.75inch piece of Scotch-Lite around the entire base of the helmet (yes the black truely does reflect well) with a half inch white Scotch-Lite laid on top of the center of the black stripe. Gives the helmet a much more classic look, the black & white makes the helmet a little more conservative and over all, you increase the total reflective area by 150%.

The in the pic linked below you can see my old yellow Lieutenant's 1010 helmet that I had black on the bottom with red laid on top of it.

2251 has a white chief's helmet with a gold large stripe and red small stripe.

I've done a few others too.

Millwood Fire Department Open House Pictures

The Link below shows the same helmet with the black section glowing white with the flashbulb of a camera.

Millwood Fire Department M.A. Kings College Pictures

Edited November 1, 2005 by mfc2257

[x635 4,066]

I like and wish I could wear the Phoenix 1500, nice and LIGHT!!!

http://www.thefirestore.com/store/product.cfm?pID=95

[Guest]

Issued a Cairns 660C Metro in Yellow by the department.

G/F bought me a Yellow 1010 with faceshield as a Recruit School Graduation present.

Mom ordered me my sheild as a Christmas present.

I like the face shield because I wear glasses and I find goggles uncomfortable and if you are going to have Bourkes, you have to have goggles too per NFPA.

Sleepy issued me a Black 1010 with a faceshield.

The 1010's sometimes are hard to adjust so they sit "just right" on your head but I like them.

Someday I'll get a Leather New Yorker. Heavy as hell, but it is still a LEATHER.

-cmc-

[tjd1012 5]

cairns 1044,with bourkes,ess goggles.Not heavy,covers my big head,it fit.So i'll keep it.

[ny10570 745]

An 880 with goggles. Its everything the 1010 is, but its lower profile, sits lower, and its lighter. Dept. Paid for it, I'm wearing it. I'll never understand buying your own helmet.

[IzzyEng4 427]

An 880 with goggles.  Its everything the 1010 is, but its lower profile, sits lower, and its lighter.  Dept. Paid for it, I'm wearing it.  I'll never understand buying your own helmet.

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I can say for myself that sometimes having a helmet that you like and your department allows you to wear gives you a secure feeling or many people like to have the tradition of the leather or an older style helmet that is up to today's stnadards, even the "I like that helmemt I want it"

Me, I grew up seeing everyone having leathers or the old "duck bill" Pheonix helmets. I tried it and liked it. I also like the 1010 due to the New Yorker style. My leather helmet and Gemtor belt are the only 2 pieces of equipment I have purchased, everything else I have (the other 95%) is department issued.

[Alfons0x66 0]

i have a 1010 in yellow and in black, but nothing is as comfortable as my fathers new yorker, broken in and 25 years old. Not to get off topic but having personal stuff is more assuring. I have an entire set of gear, from RIT harness to nomex hood that is mine, i own it, and i feel more comfortable in that set, than I do in the set i keep at the firehouse, which is set up the exact same way.

[HFD750 6]

I had a leather helmet for years and they are very heavy,After a long fire I relized this leather has got to go. So went out and bought the ben II and I am very ha[ppy with it. So I'd say leather is out Ben is in.

[X615 0]

myself & 3 other guys much preferred the new yorkers & bought our own while everyone else wore the dept. issued metros. our a**. chief & training officer for whatever petty reasons despised the fdny & anything associated with them so we endured a lot of garbage from them even going as far as threatening to "outlaw" them. it's funny to watch someone back down & walk away with their tails between their legs when you tell them they better be in full compliance with all osha, nfpa standards, bloodbourne pathogen training, hazmat, mrt, emt, cpr & defib certs, dot inspections on all the machines etc before coming after my helmet. a lot of the guys liked the styling of our new yorkers but not the weight or price & eventully got the dept to begin buying 1010's instead of metros.

[EXDC203 38]

Leather is the way to go.... yes it's heavy... but you know its on your head, and it will protect you.....

[RichC 0]

Currently I'm wearing a Cairns 1010 which replaced a Bullard traditional that I had briefly. I don't really recall much difference between the two. Don't know if I would depart with the $$ for a leather. I do think the money I spent on leather boots was money very well spent. As much as you might want a leather lid, if I was on a budget (and who isn't) seriously consider spending your money on leather boots first if your department does not issue them.

[houlidsa 76]

I totally agree with RichC. In order the gear items I upgraded is 1. Old N5A, was allowed to wear so it was a waste of money 2. H-Back style suspenders, great investment 3. Leather boots, an even better investment 4. better gloves 5. N6A leather, more emotionally pleasing than pratical. My leather boots are definantlt the most pratical and worth while purchase I've made but my leather is still the most fullfilling purchase and I trust it with my life thats why I protect what little brains God gave me with it

[Guest]

First I had an early Cairns modern thing, terrible...... then I had a Bullard traditional (piece of s%$t) and it was heavy for plastic and FAR too wide. I bought an N5A and will never go back. Since your head sits right against the rim of the helmet on the front side it feels like it doesn't wobble on your head nearly as much, they are really heavy, but thats alright. And ofcourse if anyone says they didn't get a leather for the "style" factor they are lying. I think that the leather has a lot of very real advantages, but come on, I didn't know about any of them when I bought it.

[FDNY 10-75 640]

I have a Cairns 1010, it can be annoying at times, but I like it.

[truckie45 1]

I did wear a cairns 1010 but switch to leather real quick. The 1010 was nice and light and I have no complaints. The leather new york i wear was a treat to me, heavy its. The leather is like a marine and his rifle.

Leather Forever

Truckie45

[SHFD781 0]

I just recently got the Carns 1044. It is exactly the same as the 1010 except it has a matte finish instead of the glossy finish and it cost alot less than the 1010. I bought mine for about $160.00 with the goggles, borkes were extra. It fits just the same and is just as light as the 1010.

Edited November 19, 2005 by SHFD781

[ltjay157 10]

i used to have a 660 metro when i first joined my dept. it was a POS. faceshield kept breaking and it was a pain to get it to fit just right. when i became a lieutenant, i bought a 1010. it fit ok but the plastic from the ratchet would dig into my head. i bought my current leather about 5 1/2 yrs ago and i love it. it's like you're wearing a fitted baseball hat. the capt used to give me crap about wearing it bc it was heavy blah blah blah. i told him one day to wear it and he realized it wasn't that much heavier then a 1010. he's been hooked ever since. the weight is not much more than a 1010. look inside a 1010 on the label and it says it weighs 56 oz. now look in a N5A and it says it weighs 60 oz. plus a leather helmet is tradition. long live the leathers!!!!!

[MPACE2-299 0]

My department issues Leather N5A’s to all our members, the probies have orange shields to designate them. All our members love them and have no problems. Except for the newer ones, the “crash pads” in the suspension keep the helmet much higher on your head then the older style. As far as the bourkes I find them pretty much useless after you have your helmet for a while, I have tried goggles and didn’t them like. Best thing I have found is I keep a cheap pair of Home Depot safety glasses in my pocket. If they get scratched or broken it’s a lot cheaper to replace then the goggles.

[CFD320 35]

Replaced my stolen 1010 (bourke, ess) that I wore for 9 years with an N5A with Bourke. Best choice I could have made! The N5A seems like it was made to fit my head, I would sacrifice the weight for the comfort any day.

[Guest]

My department issues Leather N5A’s to all our members, the probies have orange shields to designate them. All our members love them and have no problems. Except for the newer ones, the “crash pads†in the suspension keep the helmet much higher on your head then the older style. As far as the bourkes I find them pretty much useless after you have your helmet for a while, I have tried goggles and didn’t them like. Best thing I have found is I keep a cheap pair of Home Depot safety glasses in my pocket. If they get scratched or broken it’s a lot cheaper to replace then the goggles.

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free leather helmets in Mahopac!!! send me an application!

[doug_e 0]

I got my New Yorker as an award for responding to the most alarms for my company in 1975. (FDMV E6 Max Blatz Award)

I used it initially when I joined the BMFD but retired it for the "safety" of a 1010. The BMFD used Metros for years which was the primary reason I used the NY'er.

I recently brought the NY'er back out of retirement with a new coat of white paint this time. I used it thinking I'd be IC'ing my way for the next few years. At Briarcliff's small job last week I found myself chasing down the seat of the fire and couldn't keep it on my head. (They told me my head would swell )

I went out the next day and picked up a 1044/bourke with ESS goggles, a Streamlight band. It feels great, so far.

Checkout the Streamlight rubber band if you haven't seen it yet. Very good design.

[firemoose827 324]

I started out with the 660c through my junior years and into my first few years in the fire service. Than an old friend of mine from Long Island sent up his old 1010 as a present for finishing ff2 and I never looked at any other helmets. I would like to eventually get myself the cairns 880 with bourques and ESS because I too hate the faceshield. I have lost track of how many replacements my department has bought for me over the years, probably enough to buy that 880!

[Guest]

I wear a Cairns 660c metro as does the rest of the dept. and like most of the dept. well the younger and interior guys we hate the helmet and have our own we all bought(1010) only problem is we have to wear dept. issue gear so I have been trying to get the dept. to change policy and let us buy our own and let me tell ta its not going easy. I was just recently able to convince the board to let me buy my own leather boots which I love over the s*** rubber ones so I have my work cut out for me and its going to be a long fight but I hope in the end it all works cause it will make alot of people happy knowing we dont have to wear those ugly helmets anymore.

[Guest]

Phenix Technologies 1500CA.... West Coast style...LOL

[JBE 328]

New Era NY Mets baseball cap. Usually in black or spring training royal blue with the black bill.