Fire Hoods Review

By: JJ 6/22/2019

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    Hoods, as they are commonly referred to are an interval part of the modern firefighters bunker gear. Just as our boots protect our feet, our gloves our hands, the hood protects our ears and neck from the heat and radiation we are exposed to when fighting fire. My personal hood of choice is a Majestic Pac II Black hood with High Visibility Stitching. 

    Out of the packaging, it is clear to see why Majestic is the go to hood manufacturer.  The hood has a good feel right out of the pack. Even though not necessary, I always clean my hoods prior to putting them in service. The materials is of good quality, with no loose threads or questionable stitching. I know a lot of people prefer not to have black hoods because you can not see if it is dirty or not. However, it has been my standard of practice, that if you are having to put on a hood then assume it is dirty until you know it isn't. For this reason, I always keep two hoods with me so I have a clean one to use while cleaning the dirty one.

    This particular hood, is what I would refer to as a general purpose, or “summer” hood, while sufficient for use during most of the year, when winter arrives I switch out for a thicker “winter” hood for the colder temperatures of a Kentucky winter.
    The hood is constructed of Black Carbon Ultra 6 with nomex thread. It is a two piece design with shoulder notches cut. I like how it has a longer bib, allowing for more range of motion without concern of exposing skin. 

    The face hole is elastic enough to easily allow the hood to pass over your head while donning your ppe and creates an effective barrier seal around the face mask of all the brands of SCBAs I have encountered. I personally allow the top of the hood to ever so slightly cover the lense of the SCBA mask to allow some added protection with in a a kneeling position from radiant heat above the firefighter. 

   There are a wide range of cuts, material combinations and features available in hoods. If you can think of a situation, odds are there is a hood designed around that scenario. 

    Beyond structural firefighting, hoods make a good barrier layer during cold weather operations, extrication, and the similar activities. Once I retire a hood, I often use it for hunting, winter activities, atv riding and the similar.
    Price of hoods runs the gambit, they typically start out in the 20-30 dollar range and with some of the new materials designed for particulate  filtration can run well above 100 dollars per hood. My advise, just find a hood that meets your specific needs and get a couple of them. It’s worth the price to save your neck. Thanks and Live Action.