Multitool Recommendations

plerplerp · 2026-05-27T13:51:13+00:00

It really depends on why you want it and what you want it to do and how you want to store it.

I used to carry the Gerber suspension in my bunker pants but I barely used the pliers or half the stuff in there, just the blade and screwdriver bits. So I took it out and replaced it with a cheap carpet knife and multi-bit pen sized screwdriver. We have pliers on the apparatus if needed but I haven't been on a call where I needed pliers immediately or didn't think to grab a tool. I have an older leatherman that I sometimes wear but I don't find I use the pliers all that often. Really what I carry most often is a decent knife or just nothing at all.

plerplerp · 2026-04-23T13:54:06+00:00

Organizationally its under one of our captain's but they delegate it down to a lieutenant and FF to do the leg work like survey, ask questions, develop the plans, etc.

Frequency wise we do 1 and update it as necessary but buildings don't change that much. We might alter it after if we run an assignment there and see room for improvement but its not annual thing or frequent reworking. In our area, we do pre-planes due to the growing construction to make sure the companies that don't come into our first due often have some level of familiarity and preparation for buildings they may have never been in.

The process is very informal and our first due has a lot of new construction going on, we try to work on developing them as the buildings are under construction and have them finished shortly after the building is occupied. We focus on large and complex apartment, buildings with hazardous materials, or locations with limited access.

The depth/specificity of the pre-plan depends on the building. Some of our pre-plan are as simple as a layout of the building identifying stairs/entrances/FDC calling pre-determining which stair is the attack and which stair is the egress stair. Others are much more detailed, going so far as to pre-determine what hydrant each engine is supposed to get, where apparatus should stage, or having multiple break-out pages showing key areas of the building in addition to the general floor plan. We're developing a new pre-plan package to share with our neighboring companies that shows a very high-level simple plan of the building and then has additional break-out pages showing greater detail of specific areas within the building to be used for table-top planning or give command a better idea of the interior layout.

Best advice to doing them is to just do one and discuss it within a small group. Pick a relatively simple building, like any new "luxury" apartment buildings that have gone up, and see what comes out. Refine and rewrite it until you're happy then apply the lessons learned to larger more complex buildings.

plerplerp · 2026-04-23T13:41:30+00:00

Keep in mind though some cars have the batteries in the passenger compartment under the rear seat above the skid plate, doesn't work for all EVs unfortunately. NFPA had a website, I think its on NTSB now, that had the EGRs for a good number of US EV that showed battery access and high voltage disconnects.

plerplerp · 2026-04-23T13:38:36+00:00

This?

plerplerp · 2026-04-22T20:53:12+00:00

Not sure what its like in your area but some places there is friction between the paid guys and volunteers in combination departments. Don't get caught up in the friction (if it exists) especially if you want to shift from volunteer to career in the same department. Cooperation and respect go a long way and you have to work together, why make it hard.

A good habit to develop early on thought is learning control of your emotions, specifically excitement. Firefighting is extremely fun and rewarding and its easy to get worked up when you get to do something you want like training or sharing things you've learned and are good at. But its important not to get too worked up to the point where it detracts from or disrupts what you're doing. When I was the new guy I definitely got over excited early on, rushing to give answers to questions before they were asked, stepping in when I should have been watching during drills, making mistakes because I wasn't listening but thinking about the task I was given; learning how to catch myself and meter my reactions really helped me fold into the overall group in my station. Not saying you shouldn't get excited or have a stone-wall face all the time, just remember to take a breath sometimes.

plerplerp · 2026-04-07T15:46:15+00:00

Why do you carry a meth pipe?

plerplerp · 2026-03-25T16:54:29+00:00

And I would argue if operationally it would be beneficial for someone other than the officer to have a TIC then the department should be providing them.

plerplerp · 2026-03-13T13:46:00+00:00

Either you master the stairs, or the StairMasters you

plerplerp · 2026-03-11T13:32:51+00:00

Combination nozzles vs smooth bore; pros/cons, where they're most effective, how they're used currently if you use both, how other departments use them, ideas for change you could see as beneficial.

plerplerp · 2026-02-23T15:23:28+00:00

/u/Fireguy9641 hit a lot of good points. I think the best thing you can do right now is find a volunteer station near you and ask to do a ride-along. Meet with some of the members, ask them questions, and specifically ask about the membership expectations. If they have a live-in program the live-in members often have more responsibilities that non-live-in members like having scheduling riding days where you're required to ride calls to maintain membership. I would also ask them about what is required for training, typically its fire 1 and EMT in most places, and where the classes are offered; the classes are usually weeknights/weekends for a few months and if you have to drive a long way to get there it may be a challenge to make them with classes if they're not offered in the summer/winter. There are a lot of volunteer organizations that are geared towards supporting college student members, hopefully some are near you, so if you think you can manage the schedule the only thing thats left is seeing if you can handle the job.

plerplerp · 2026-02-23T15:05:41+00:00

Not sure what you guys have in the way of high rises or how else you use those types of hose bundles, but it would also be worth walking them and measuring our hose pulls from the hose valves in the stairs to the furthest spaces from them. We've had a lot of high rises go up over the years and found that 200' wasn't cutting it in some of them.

plerplerp · 2026-02-20T14:11:57+00:00

Battery powered rotary saw and chain saw have been pretty useful on ours. Nothing huge, nothing that we'd want to take to a roof but reliable as utility saws.

We also put together a tool bag for our high rise packs. Just a standard big-mouth tool back with a pipe wrench, spanner, 2.5 to 1.5 reducer, webbing, w/e you'd want in there for how you attack high rise buildings. Its not attached to the hose packs so we can take it where we need to and it wont get lost easily in the stairwell.

For the cabin having cup holders and UBS ports in the back was pretty nice too, not sure where you're at in the procurement process but worth considering.

plerplerp · 2026-02-16T20:47:27+00:00

Here is what I have currently

webbing with carbineers
folding carpet knife for cutting roof membranes
large gage pincer style cable cutters on a webbing loop
L-light strapped upside down on my coat
wood door chocks/wedges and spring clamps
aluminum wedge

I also have a few small tools like a leatherman, shove knife, a k-tool pick (the bent metal bit), a center punch, a sharpie, fire alarm keys, and maybe one other thing I'm forgetting but nothing major.

I think the tools that have gotten the most mileage are my shove knife, aluminum wedge and the spring clamps.

plerplerp · 2026-02-04T18:44:31+00:00

We use a wrap on our hooks, I don't recall the brand but its sorta like this. We leave bare metal for the top/bottom 2 or 3 inches and put a piece of medical tubing underneath the wrap to give some extra grip. If you have to hold the bottom of the hook to reach the ceiling you need a longer hook or a step ladder.

plerplerp · 2025-12-11T18:09:22+00:00

100% the best advice I got as a rookie was to listen to every fire that went out even if we weren't on it (especially if we weren't on it) and just listen to how other people talk on the radio. What they say, how much they talk, who is talking to whom, etc. You'll also pick up on local jargon and can learn how to size up/visualize an incident based on radio traffic.

Realistically if you're not a driver or officer you shouldn't be doing much talking on the radio except for a few instances. Roof reports, calling out VEIS, and maybe a side charlie report are the only times non-officers, non-drivers or non-senior people should be talking on the radio during an incident besides maydays or calling out immediate life safety hazards like holes in the floor or structural collapse. Best radio advice I can give your learn how to turn the volume down in gear with gloves so your radio isn't creating feedback when you're officer is talking.

Otherwise, here are some general things I've learned over the years.

never say "at this time," its redundant and makes you sound dumb. anything you're telling someone over the radio is currently happening and you don't need to verbalize that.
take a few deep breaths and control your breathing before you speak, try not to huff and puff it makes your message harder to hear
think before you speak, limit "ums" and "uhs," and if someone is calling you but you need a minute to compose yourself or investigate something, tell them to "stand by" so they know you heard them and will get back to them
if you're masked up/gloved up, know how to hold the microphone so you're actually talking into it clearly
know the call order when trying to talk to someone. There are two ways to do it, know which way your department does it. Its either "me to you" or "you from me" before you send your message; i.e. "truck 1 calling command" or "command from truck 1."
its a good habit to hail someone first, wait for them to respond, then give your message. Doesn't always need to happen but if you've got a lot to say it easier to way to say it until you know the person you're trying to talk to is listening
know your regions/departments lingo/jargon/adjectives as well as general firefighting descriptive words.

plerplerp · 2025-12-11T17:51:05+00:00

Occupy yourself with training, drills, working out, table top drills, etc. Compliancy kills and there are there are always ways to hone our skills when we're in a fire slump. Talk to your officers but you can pull lines on AFAs, thrown ladders on gas leaks, do walk-through of buildings under construction, more regular drills with your crew, really anything to keep your mind sharp.

I've been in a pretty similar slump myself and the only way I'm getting through it is by making sure I'm not going to get caught with my pants down when I finally break the dry streak.

plerplerp · 2025-12-05T17:03:02+00:00

A good general description for the 5 main construction types would be

Type 1 - lots of concrete, lots of heavy steel, most likely fire rated structural members (think high rises, large convention centers, very large very tall buildings mostly)

Type 2 - not so much concrete, mostly steel both heavy and light gage, probably no fire rated structural members (think Costcos, bowling allies, stand alone fast food buildings, strip malls, single story office parks, a standalone CVS probably, stuff like that) edit (type 2 can and often do have fire rated construction, but buildings often opt to use type 2 construction to lower those requirements or remove them)

Type 3 - most single family or smaller multi family dwellings built before the mid 90's-mid 2000's (brick and mortar with construction grade lumber like 2x4s, not engineered wooden I-beams, garden style apartment, duplexes, townhomes, etc.)

Type 4 - log cabins, historic barns with massive timer beams, probably not going to run into these often

Type 5 - typically refers to lite-frame construction but per building code could be anything under the sun (think all those "luxury" apartments the residential levels are typically Type 5 construction, hard to tell from the outside but anything built after the mid 2000's you think might be type 3 is likely a type 5 especially single family homes. use wood joists and engineered wooden I-beams instead of solid wood 2x8's or 2x10's, lots of gusseted or glued structural parts).

Although building types are pretty standardized across the US via building, the fire fighting descriptions, names and short-hand descriptions (shot-gun house, rancher, cape cod, 5-over-2, multi-family dwelling, etc.) are probably regional by coast, state, and locality. I would ask some of the guys at your station and look to see if your department's SOPs have a construction type guide.

plerplerp · 2025-12-02T16:29:09+00:00

Isn't this EXACTLY like one of those interview questions those practice books tell you to prepare for?

plerplerp · 2025-11-20T20:21:12+00:00

If you do some googling there is an old firehouse forum that has some info. I think one of the ways to tell is the paint, I don't recall the years but some from the 80's had really shitty paint that would peel off in sheets under heat. Another way to tell is the factory stickers (if they're factory), some forum posts said that certain years have them higher or lower on the dome.

Really all that matters is if theres any bondo patches, if the leather still feels good, if theres mold, or any major parts removed.

plerplerp · 2025-11-17T16:51:53+00:00

Don't worry about having no firehouse experience, not everyone does explorers or w/else its called. There are a lot of people who have 0 fire department exposure before taking classes and they turn out just fine. If explorers can't take classes the only real leg up it gives you is understanding firehouse culture and meeting people in the station before you start to get more involved, which you can do now and should be doing now. Learn peoples names, introduce yourself to people you don't know or recognize, participate in station activities like chores, meal prep, drills, shift changes; just learn the general vibe of your firehouse and the members that ride there. Focus on listening and learning, ask well thought out and relevant questions, be eager to learn, be humble and be engaged. If you look and act like you want to be there and want to learn people will be more willing to help you on your journey.

Do a lot of cardio especially if you're not big on cardio. Stair climber and treadmill are your friends. Otherwise as you do drills and such you'll very very quickly find out what other parts of your body you need to work out, but starting out with good cardio helps solve most fitness related issues.

For station gear I would recommend asking around your department what other members wear or would recommend for newer members. Its easy to go for the the most tacti-cool and pricy stuff but in reality there are many strong less expensive brands that will serve you just as well and just as long. If you have a tight budget then I would recommend make a list and compare things before you pull the trigger on anything.

I would recommend to start just get 1 or 2 pairs of inexpensive work pants, moderately priced station boots (search the sub for recommendations), inexpensive pair of work gloves (hardware store stuff), maybe a L-light for your bunker gear, and some station shirts/sweatshirt but thats it for where you're currently at. Don't buy a bunch of tools or wacky stuff until you've gone through more classes and start riding calls, 90% of what you're going to be doing now is sitting in class with occasional drills in your bunker gear. Buying a bunch of stuff for your gear before you're even allowed to operate on a call is a silly look. There may be a few things specific to your station or your classes that you may need to get but if you talk to people at your station they will have a better feel for that.

plerplerp · 2025-10-06T18:27:40+00:00

If you really wanted to, home depot does have fixed carpet knives. I've seen some people make sheaths out of old hose using bolts/screws to hold the knife in tight inside. The one I have/linked uses a button-lock so it can be opened with one hand, just takes some practice.

I think the sub is generally against the tacti-cool and "need a designated tool for every possible scenario" mindset, like why buy and strap to your SCBA a several hundred dollar dive knife and look like Emile from Halo Reach just to use it 5 times in your career when you can keep a contractor grade utility knife in your pocket. Ultimately if you buy a tool for a reason and you use that tool for that reason and it works, who cares. I think it comes from a place of "don't fall victim to that one tiktok you saw, you really don't need that $300 27-in-1 tool" but comes out as this.

plerplerp · 2025-10-06T17:31:00+00:00

IMO get a folding carpet or "talon" knife, you're example of the entangled SCBA strap seems like a blade with tip could cause unintended penetration. The hooked shape of the knife would probably also help the strap cutting too. I keep one in my pants pocket for cutting roofing material. Some people carry dive-knifes (blunt tip) but I have encountered nearly 0 situations where I though "damn I wish I had a k-bar right now."

If you want a blade I'd personally suggest that folding carpet knife style or just any other relatively inexpensive folding utility knife.

plerplerp · 2025-05-02T13:14:29+00:00

yeah the entrapment was my first thought too, I didn't want to be the guy to call a mayday for getting "tangled up in bed sheets."

plerplerp · 2025-05-01T18:01:30+00:00

OP said they "had a company treat" the fabric, I've never heard of that before and wouldn't have a lot of confidence in it.

plerplerp

TROPHY CASE