Best Job Yet: The Gear Firefighters Rely on When Every Moment Counts

For firefighters, gearing up is a heavy lift — literally. When responding to a call for help, a firefighter may be carrying and wearing 100 pounds or more of clothing and tools.  
 
Captain Scott Springer, who was honored as the City of Virginia Beach’s 2023 Firefighter of the Year, shared details about firefighters’ weighty wardrobe, which consists of 70-75 pounds of turnout gear. 

Depending on the call, turnout gear may include fire pants, coat, suspenders, boots, helmet, goggles, gloves and a protective hood. Each of these items is made with special materials and extra features designed to protect firefighters from heat and flames.  

The pants, for example, have padded knees. “That gives you a little protection from the heat, the weight on your knees, and abrasions as you crawl around in buildings,” Scott said.

In addition to turnout gear, firefighters carry 20-25 pounds of tools depending on the type of call they’re responding to. Tools may include an axe, hose, radio, flashlight, rope, wrenches, screwdrivers and/or a Halligan bar, which is used to force entry past locked doors. 

“In everything we do, we try to have space to carry additional equipment, so we don’t have to run back to the truck to get it,” Scott said.     

Proper gear maintenance is an important aspect of any firefighter’s job. Each firefighter is issued two sets of turnout gear, which they are responsible for cleaning and keeping ready to wear. Turnout gear is regularly inspected by safety officers at every fire station. 

Though the gear is heavy, Scott said the first time he suited up, the weight didn’t even register. “You don’t think about the heat. You don’t think about how heavy the gear is or how hot it is. It’s just pure excitement,” he said. “You’re happy to have the job you wanted. There’s adrenaline, and everything that goes with it.” 

As the son of a firefighter in Pennsylvania, Scott said he grew up knowing he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. After serving as a firefighter in his home state for several years, an opportunity to join the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) urban search and rescue team called his attention to the City of Virginia Beach’s Fire Department (VBFD), which he joined in 2013. 

What’s kept him here? He says it’s the department’s excellent training and great equipment. “I feel like most of the time, we are on the progressive edge of fire service across the country,” Scott said. 
 
Serving the largest municipality in Virginia, VBFD has 21 fire stations that respond to calls across 307 square miles. The department operates and maintains frontline apparatus of 22 engines, nine ladder trucks, two rescue trucks, three tankers, three fire boats and a hazardous materials truck. In fiscal year 2024, the department made over 73,000 responses to more than 45,000 incidents.  
 
VBFD is accepting applications until April 30 for the next class of Firefighter Recruits for the Virginia Beach Fire Academy. Interested applicants are invited to attend an open house, 9-11:30 a.m., Saturday, April 26, at the Harry E. Diezel Fire Training Center, located at 927 S. Birdneck Road. Find your best job yet at VirginiaBeach.gov/Careers.