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Leatherhead (helmet)
Encyclopedia
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
s have worn helmet
Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries.Ceremonial or symbolic helmets without protective function are sometimes used. The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900BC, who wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from...
s to protect them from heat, cinders and falling objects.
Modern structural helmet
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, as well as Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and in parts of Asia (notably Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
). Structural helmets are made of either thermoplastic or composite material. The brim at the rear of the helmet is longer than the front and a face shield(s) is usually attached to the front. Newer "Metro" - The name given by several leading helmet manufacturers - helmets are also much lighter than both leather and composite traditional helmets.
The Leatherhead
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
helmet used by many firefighters in the US and Canada. Leatherhead is also slang for a firefighter who uses the leather helmet. The leather helmet is also an international symbol of firefighters from the earlier years of firefighting. Almost always, traditional leather helmets have a brass (eagle in US, beaver in Canada) adornment affixed to the top front of the helmet that secures a leather shield to the front of the helmet.
The Brass Eagle and Beaver (United States and Canada)
Many fire departments have a traditional helmet with more modern plastic and composite helmets that have no eagle or beaver device - Jokingly referred to as "salad bowls" and "slick tops" for their streamlined shape. However, many firefighters and fire departments still retain the traditional helmet (composite or leather) as a matter of tradition and comfort.
Forest Fire Helmets
Forest firefighters in North America have worn a variety of helmets:- Hard hatHard hatA hard hat is a type of helmet predominantly used in workplace environments, such as construction sites, to protect the head from injury by falling objects, impact with other objects, debris, bad weather and electric shock. Inside the helmet is a suspension that spreads the helmet's weight over the...
type with full brim (similar to Brodie helmet) or cap brim (front only construction type) used with goggles and/or ear protection attached to brim - modern metro type structural fire helmets used with goggles
Merryweather
Merryweather helmets were used by BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
fire brigades from the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
(1868) until well into the 20th Century. Leather helmets were first used by insurance firefighters in the 18th and 19th Century. The Merryweather was modelled after helmets worn by cuirassier
Cuirassier
Cuirassiers were mounted cavalry soldiers equipped with armour and firearms, first appearing in late 15th-century Europe. They were the successors of the medieval armoured knights...
s of the French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
, the helmets were made of brass or nickel. Metal helmets are conductive, which was a safety hazard as use of electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
became widespread, due to the risk of live wires falling from overhead. As a result they were slowly replaced by the modern structural fire helmets, similar to the ones used in North American jurisdictions.
Beginning in 1935, the metal Merryweather was replaced with a compressed cork version made by Cromwell Helmets. Gone was the decorative features on the comb with a streamline helmet similar to ones worn by London firefighters from 1833 to 1868.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(1941 and until 1948), firefighter in London wore Brodie helmet
Brodie helmet
The Brodie helmet, called Helmet, steel, Mark I helmet in Britain and the M1917 Helmet in the U.S., was a steel combat helmet designed and patented in 1915 by the Briton John Leopold Brodie...
s instead of the Cromwell Merryweathers.
From 1965 to the 1990s, a variant called County Pattern was introduced with a simple cork based headgear for British firefighters. This design won over fire brigades over designs that deviated from the Merryweather (Model 3871)
The compressed cork design lasted over six decades with a failed trial of a plastic version (1950s and late 1960s) and leather made Hendry Metro helmets.
By 1989, the Cromwell Merryweather and cork gave way to even lighter modern structural thermoplastic helmets.
German DIN fire helmet
In GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
most of the fire brigades still use the old German DIN
Din
DIN or Din or din can have several meanings:* A din is a loud noise.* Dīn, an Arabic term meaning "religion" or "way of life".* Din is one of the ten aspects of the Ein Sof in Kabbalah ....
fire helmet. This helmet is designed according to the old German standard DIN 14940 dd. approx. 1972. The helmet is made of aluminium alloy, it is painted with a yellow-green fluorescent colour and provided with a white reflecting stripe and a black leather neck protection. Most fire brigades use the helmet with an easily mountable visor. The design of the helmet is based on the German military steel helmet
Stahlhelm
Stahlhelm is German for "steel helmet". The Imperial German Army began to replace the traditional boiled-leather Pickelhaube with the Stahlhelm during World War I in 1916...
of the first world war. The German DIN fire helmet does not correspond to the presently valid European EN 443 standard for fire helmets as it is conductive. It is allowed to use the existing aluminium DIN fire helmets but not to obtain new ones for fire services. Some manufacturers produce fire helmets made of glass fibre reinforced plastic having exactly the look of the old German DIN fire helmet and corresponding to the European EN 443 standard. To avoid a different look of helmets in one fire brigade most of them obtain new helmets looking like the old DIN fire helmet.
F1 helmet
The F1 helmet is a modern firefighter's helmet made in France by Gallet, a subsidiary of MSAMine Safety Appliances
Mine Safety Appliances, or MSA, is a maker of sophisticated safety products that help protect workers who may be exposed to a variety of hazardous conditions...
, who also produce the SPECTRA military helmet
SPECTRA helmet
The SPECTRA helmet or CGF Gallet Combat Helmet is the ballistic helmet currently in use in the French military, as well as in the armies of several other countries. Built by CGF Gallet , it weighs , is available in two sizes, and is made from Spectra fibers, produced under license from Honeywell...
. In service since 1985, the F1 helmet provides protection against impact
Impact force
In mechanics, an impact is a high force or shock applied over a short time period when two or more bodies collide. Such a force or acceleration usually has a greater effect than a lower force applied over a proportionally longer time period of time...
, fires and electricity, fulfilling the EN 443 European standard
CEN
CEN may refer to:*Cen, or sen, is the currency of the fictional nation of Amestris of the anime/manga "Fullmetal Alchemist"As a three-letter acronym:* Cambridge Evening News, former name for the Cambridge News...
.
The F1 was an answer to a requirement of the Paris Fire Brigade
Paris Fire Brigade
The Paris Fire Brigade , is a French Army unit which serves as the fire service for Paris and certain sites of national strategic importance....
for a replacement of the previous helmet (Casque modele 1933 was similar to the Merryweather) which dated back to 1933; these provided insufficient protection for the face and back of the head, and were not thermally insulated
Thermal insulation
Thermal insulation is the reduction of the effects of the various processes of heat transfer between objects in thermal contact or in range of radiative influence. Heat transfer is the transfer of thermal energy between objects of differing temperature...
. The F1 helmet is hand made, using synthetic
Chemical synthesis
In chemistry, chemical synthesis is purposeful execution of chemical reactions to get a product, or several products. This happens by physical and chemical manipulations usually involving one or more reactions...
materials often covered with galvanised nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
. It can include masks, communication systems and other accessories.
The F1 has been used by the Paris Fire Brigade since August 1985, and has been widely adopted by all of the French fire services, gaining export
Export
The term export is derived from the conceptual meaning as to ship the goods and services out of the port of a country. The seller of such goods and services is referred to as an "exporter" who is based in the country of export whereas the overseas based buyer is referred to as an "importer"...
success in over 85 countries, including fire departments in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
(Ville de Quebec), Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(notably in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
).
Helmet colors
In some countries, most notably the United States and the Commonwealth RealmCommonwealth Realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...
s, the colour of a firefighter's helmet often denotes the wearer's rank or position. In Britain and its former colony Hong Kong, most firefighters wear yellow helmets, but watch managers (sub officers) and above wear white helmets; rank is further indicated by black stripes around the helmets. In Canada regular firefighters wear yellow or black with captains with red and senior command offices in white. Likewise in the United States, red helmets denote company officers, while white helmets denote chief officers. However the specific meaning of a helmet's color or style varies from region to region and department to department.
The South Australian Country Fire Service
Country Fire Service
The SA Country Fire Service is a volunteer based fire service in the state of South Australia in Australia. Many parts of Australia are sparsely populated whilst at the same time they are under significant risk of bushfire. Due to economics, it is prohibitively expensive for each Australian town...
like many Australian Fire Services, have specific colours for specific roles. White helmets are for Firefighters (with a red stripe for Senior Firefighters). Lieutenants have yellow helmets, Captains have yellow with a red stripe, Deputy Group Officers and above have red helmets, while paid staff have a blue stripe on their helmet.
See also
- Fire safetyFire safetyFire safety refers to precautions that are taken to prevent or reduce the likelihood of a fire that may result in death, injury, or property damage, alert those in a structure to the presence of a fire in the event one occurs, better enable those threatened by a fire to survive, or to reduce the...
- Glossary of firefighting equipmentGlossary of firefighting equipment- A :* Adapter: plumbing accessories for connecting hoses and pipes of incompatible diameter, thread, or gender. See also reducer, increaser, double male, double female, water thief. May contain combinations, such as a double-female reducer...
- Glossary of firefighting termsGlossary of firefighting termsFirefighting jargon includes a diverse lexicon of both common and idiosyncratic terms. One problem that exists in trying to create a list such as this is that much of the terminology used by a particular department is specifically defined in their particular standing operating procedures, such that...
- Custodian helmetCustodian helmetCustodian helmet or centurion helmet, technically known as a 'Home Office pattern helmet', is a helmet worn by many policemen in England and Wales.-History:...
- worn by British and Commonwealth police forces
External links
- San Francisco Fire Museum page with pictures
- Fire helmets and helmet images in the Staten Island Historical Society Online Collections Database
- msa-gallet.fr F1-SF helmet Manufacturer's web site
- Killorglin Fire & Rescue Killorglin Fire & Rescue site includes a breakdown of the parts of the Gallet helmet
- Der Feuerwehrhelm A helmet collection: See fire helmets of the past and the future, from Germany and the whole world
- Caschi da Pompiere - Fire helmets A blog from an Italian collector, from all over the world.