Safety Rating on Fire Helmets. DOT Approved?
Kelly Berger
Hey everyone, I'm wondering if I could use my leather NYer helmet as a motor-
cycle helmet. Do NFPA standards meet or exceed DOT standards? I'll check back
often. Thanx in advance. PA FFer.
Chuck5605
Kelly,
I don't ride a motercycle but I would have to say that a Firefighting helmet
would not be my first choice. 1. I would think that the wind would just about
rip it off your head. 2. I would want a full face helmet.( seen to many
motercycle accidents that a full face helmet would have helped.)
I can't say say if it would be DOT approved or not,Sorry!
Remember these are opinions from a guy who doesn't ride.
Stay Safe,
Chuck Croat
Norwalk,Iowa Fire Dept.
Sean
Hallo:
If the helmet has the DOT sticker, you can use it. If it does not have the
sticker, you cannot use it.
It is that simple.
Don't worry about any Snell stickers. These are optional. Snell without DOT
is still an illegal helmet (though I'm certain your fire helmet is not Snell
approved).
Consider the example of an Italian co-worker of mine. He's been riding
motorcycles since before he could walk. When he transferred to our US
division, he left his bike in Italia but brought his $800 helmet (okay, it
was Italian and therefore cost way over 1,000,000 Lira) with him and
purchased a US-spec bike (ZX-9R). The helmet was a Shoei, a brand that is
popular in the US. The helmet was a model that is sold here. The helmet had
European certification but not a DOT sticker.
The DMV and DOT told my co-worker he would absolutely need the sticker.
Otherwise, he had the option of not wearing a helmet (CT only mandates a
helmet on riders younger than 18). No federal or state agency would provide
the sticker (even though the same model helmet is sold in the US with a
sticker). The helmet manufacturer would not supply a sticker. No sticker.
Anyway, my co-worker got nabbed for speeding (70 in a 55) on his bike. The
SP officer inspected the helmet (probably based on my co-worker's heavy
accent--he does have a CT motorcycle license). In addition to speeding, my
co-worker got a warning for an illegal helmet (not a ticket, nice enough).
In this case, no helmet is better than a helmet without a DOT sticker.
My co-worker purchased a new $900 helmet last month.
Where were we? Oh, yeah, no DOT sticker, no dice. As an aside, though, I
used to wear my Nomex hood under my helmet on cold Connecticut days. It
worked well keeping me warm and no sticker is required!
Sean
Kelly Berger wrote in message <6h178o$2...@world6.bellatlantic.net>...
James Baker
As a motorcyclist, I learned that there are two groups of motorcycle
riders... Those who have gone down, and those who will go down. It should
also be noted that over the past 20 years, I have been notoriously reluctant
to wear a helmet. In both occasions where I have gone down, a "skid lid"
saved my face, and probably my life.
In the early days of the modern helmet industry, much research was done on a
variety of different materials, including leather. After initial abrasion
testing, the idea of using a leather helmet was quickly abandoned.
Let's say you are traveling at 55 mph when you hit the pavement. Depending
on the road surface, your body mass, and other factors, you will slide
between 160 and 220 feet on the average. Let's also assume that your helmet
is sliding on the road surface for at least half of this distance.
It takes less than a second for the smooth outer surface of the leather
helmet to wear through from surface abrasion. At this point, you are still
siding at a speed in excess of 35 MPH. Now the coarse inner structure of the
leather is in contact with the road surface.
While the smooth outer surface slides rather easily, the inner structure
does not. As the helmet starts to "dig in", it wants to slow down abruptly.
Because your head and skull are strapped into the helmet, they want to slow
down abruptly as well.
Remember Newton's law regarding inertia... A body in motion tends to remain
in motion? As your helmet and skull hit the brakes, momentum wants to keep
your brain going like the Energizer Bunny.
Surface adhesion abruptly stops the motion of your skull, which also begins
to translate into a "rolling" motion on the pavement. Meanwhile, your brain
wants to keep going forward at 35+ MPH, and certainly doesn't want to roll
with the cranial cavity.
The final end results vary somewhat, but the net effect is normally
debilitating... Or deadly. Often, the brain is actually dislodged from its
moorings. In any case, the likelihood of severe cerebral trauma is many
times worse than not wearing a helmet at all.
In short, unless you welcome either death, or lowering your IQ to that of
your average house plant, I would suggest that you not wear your leather
fire helmet on the motorcycle.
Ever wonder why motorcycle helmets have become so expensive in recent years?
It is largely because of the increase in liability insurance premiums for
helmet manufacturers. If your motorcycle helmet lets you down, at least your
wife and kids can go after the manufacturer. If you die while wearing a fire
helmet on your bike, they are on their own.
If your choice (yes, the wise choice) is to wear a helmet on your
motorcycle, then by all means buy the best motorcycle helmet you can
afford... And make certain that it is DOT certified and intended for
motorcycle use. You are much safer wearing a motorcycle helmet on a fire
scene, than vice versa.
One final word of advice from experience. Avoid fiberglass "full face"
helmets. The lack of ventilation can cause carbon dioxide buildup and dull
your responses. The lower area of a full face helmet has also been known to
snap inward on direct frontal impact, crushing the esophagus. Traditional
"3/4" helmets are somewhat safer, but still dull your sense of hearing...
And possibly affect your equilibrium. The "1/2" or "motorcycle cop" style
helmet sacrifices some protection, but leaves your hearing unimpeded.
And no matter what else, ride safely.
--
---
James Baker, President & CEO
Texas Digital Research Corporation
---
Firefighter/EMT
Gum Springs Fire Department
Harrison County, Texas
---
Amateur Radio N9PEK
------------------------------------------------------
Dave
DUH
James Baker
Dave wrote in message <6hadbt$ojn$1...@news7.ispnews.com>...
:DUH
:
:
Unfortunately, Dave, some people do have to have common sense spelled out to
them. However, I find your three-letter response to be right on the money!
<g>
