Mutual Aid Fire

Helmet lights are by far one of the most useful pieces of personal equipment a fire fighter can have. When mounted on your lid, no matter what you may be doing, the light
is always right where you need it. The helmet light will allow you to have hands free operation. Take pulling ceilings for an example, while you are looking up at the ceiling your light is aiming right where you need it, allowing the fire fighter to use both hands and work more efficiently.

Another example and one the most important is when searching, the fire fighter can use both hands to search instead of holding a box light with one leaving only one hand to clear obstructions and search for the victim. When forcing a door using conventional forcible entry or performing the through the lock forcible entry, your light is pointing directly where your eyes are looking allowing both hands to operate with.

There are many different brands, styles and sizes of lights on the market.There are also many different ways to mount it. When purchasing a personal helmet light there are a couple of things to consider. One, how bright is the light and how well does it cut through the smoke. I have found that a light that has more of a beam when in smoke tends to cut through better than one with more of a flood type pattern.

Another consideration is the battery life and the availability of the type of batteries that your light takes. One of the most important factors in my opinion is the way that you mount your light. Obviously you want your light to aim where your eyes are looking. One would also want it to be as low profile as possible to avoid snagging on wires or other obstructions. There are many contraptions on the market today that are made for holding your light but many are not very low profile. I have found that the best and most inexpensive way to mount your light is to attach it with electrical tape to a rubber strap on your helmet, this method keeps your light both secure and low profile.

Below are just a few examples of different brands of lights and ways to mount
each. Whatever brand of light or method of mounting your light that you choose is up to you, but if you want to work smarter and not harder, it’s not an option!

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Matt Scalan ECFR E-319