Firefighter's helmet
Stovepipe was essentially a top hat made of stiff leather with painted design to identify fire company and provided no protection.
Such leather helmets, as well as modern derivatives that retain the classic shape but use lighter, more modern composite materials, remain very popular in North America and around the world in places that derive their firefighting traditions from North America.
These ornaments protrude from the helmet and can catch on window sashes, wires and other obstacles, frequently leading to damage.
As a result, many fire departments provide traditional helmets using modern plastic and composite helmets without eagles or beavers, jokingly referred to as salad bowls, turtle shells and slick tops due to their streamlined shape.
In 1871, British physicist John Tyndall wrote about his new invention, a fireman's respirator, featuring a valve chamber and filter tube.
This device used cotton saturated with glycerin, lime and charcoal to filter smoke particles and neutralize carbonic acid.
This device featured a face mask with glass eyepieces and rubber tubes, allowing respiration through a filter carried on the chest.
[4] A Denver firefighter known as Merriman invented an early hose mask that was featured in the January 7, 1892 issue of Fireman's Herald.
[4][5] Napoleon Bonaparte reordered the various fire fighting organisations in Paris (and later other cities) into a unit of the French Army called the Sapeurs-pompiers.
They wore a brass helmet with a high central crest, similar to that worn by dragoon cavalry, with a frontal plate on which a badge representing their city was embossed.
Early on, this helmet was simply an aluminium alloy version of the M1942 Stahlhelm used by the Wehrmacht, standardized in 1956 and normed in 1964 by DIN 14940.
The Metro style is also used in Australia and parts of Asia (notably Macau, Taiwan, and Guangzhou) however, they do not feature the shield at the front, and instead will often display the crest or logo of the local fire authority.
Most countries outside of the continental US, especially Europe, use a different style of fire helmet which covers more of the head, including the ears, and will sometimes have a nape protector at the back.
Recent examples of a "Euro" style helmet include the MSA Gallet F1 XF [fr], and the Rosenbauer HEROS-Titan Pro.
[10] Most designs are derived from them, but feature a lower profile and elimination of excess protective area to facilitate better freedom of movement for the head in confined spaces.
As they are made from the same materials, these types of helmet often carry the same flame, impact and heat resistance standards that their larger counterparts do, and still offer mostly seamless compatibility with SCBAs.
One noteworthy example is the Los Angeles County Fire Department's use of MSA Safety "Topgard" Helmets depicted in the 1970s television series Emergency!.
Firefighters used all black with colored company numbers on the shield below the "L.A. County" in blue on the top half.
[citation needed] In New Zealand, helmet colours were changed in 2013 to assist with identification of the command structure at a large multi-agency incident.
[14] While identification markings according to the rank on the helmet are permanent, officers and sub-officers usually wear coloured vests over their bunker-gear in order to indicate their currently carried leading-position.
[16] Many countries, regions and industry groups have developed safety standards that outline performance criteria as well as information on the selection, care, and maintenance of fire helmets In North America, the National Fire Protection Agency has developed several industry consensus standards for various types of helmets that may be used by fire service personnel, including: In order to comply with the NFPA standards, helmets are required to be tested and certified by independent third-parties, and bear the certifying body's logo and a compliance statement.
