Question:
I am going to be shooting some pro show this year. My only experience
has been club shoots where the volume of fire is nothing. In the past
I wore leather welding gloves, hardhat,safety glasses,earplugs, jeans,
longsleeve cotton coat plus leather boots. I know some of the guys in
my club wear Nomex suits and some wear a metal type of screens on
helmets. Can any of you guys suggest modifications or improvments to
my gear and the best place(s) to buy the items ?
Answer:
I ever added to my collection of gear was a logger's
hardhat (aka chainsaw helmet). Because the face plates are wire mesh they
don't fog up as glasses sometimes do. Built in hear protection is nice,
expectably since each side is independent (I keep the near gun ear down the
other open so I can hear calls).
I would think that if your not
sweating it a little then your mind isn't on the task at hand. But
of-course that's just my overly cautious nature I guess. Once you been
bitten it's kinda hard to put your hand in that dogs mouth again.
I like the old silver, pressurized water fire
extinguishers. You can knock down most display fires (1-3' stuff) from
60', controlling the situation till the show is over.
Lostyank, based on more years of shooting than I care to remember, I
still prefer open water buckets and have had to use them on many
occasions, including one time when my foot caught on fire. Don't
laugh, it really happened!
Usually the contractor shooting the display furnishes the buckets of
water, because it's cheap and effective. Still, when a grass fire kicks
up next to your mortar pit, it would be sure comforting to have a CO2
extinguisher at the ready but they don't fit into the contractors
budget.
When you're shooting a display in a large city, it becomes almost
humorous to see how far the paid fire department, with all of their
high priced and high tech equipment, distance themselves from the
actual action.
