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So ya'll know my hubby is employed by a City, not Cal Fire or US Forestry. When the city firefighters are sent out of county or commonly referred to as a Strike Team, they not only have to bring their own fire trucks, they bring their own gear, supplies AND their stuff from home. Strike teams can last from 7-21 days depending on your department. This means that firefighters need to have a few days worth of supplies in order to sustain themselves until they can get to base camp. Often times fires are in areas where there isn't a CVS close by to grab a forgotten toothbrush and if they are assigned, they can't leave their post. It's important to have a well packed out of county bag to help get through the day.
Keep in mind the bags can't be huge. There's usually 4 guys per crew and they all need their stuff to fit in the engine along with necessary fire fighting equipment.
D and I had the chance to go through his out of county bags the other day and review essentials and extras for newbies or ideas for the seasoned firefighters out there. I found some odd substances from 2016 so it was helpful to be able to throw out expired items and replenish needed supplies.
The basics:
Uniform, socks, shoes, underwear, turnouts, hiking boots, bandanas, extra shoe laces, hats, t shirts, a sleeping bag, a pillow, a portable cot.
Toiletries:
toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, lotion, baby wipes (cuz you can't shower), TP- because well there's not always enough, and sometimes you gotta dig a hole.
Special items:
This is his favorite part.
A few years ago he bought a jet boil so that he can have hot coffee in the mornings. Found some awesome single serve instant coffee bags from TJs. A travel mug,
Snackies:
Granola bars
Energy bars
uncrustables (a firefighter favorite)
Check out pictures and a little video we made on my IG feed @eastbayfirewife
Audra
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