BY DANNY STRATTON
Wearing your portable radio properly is important to protect the device and maintain your ability to operate it effectively during interior firefighting. Using a leather radio strap and case and wearing both under the turnout coat is the best way to do this.
Placing the radio strap over the coat exposes the entire unit to heat damage, particularly the wire between the microphone and the radio. Furthermore, if worn outside the turnout coat, the strap and the radio wire are more likely to become entangled with furniture, stock, and wiring inside a fire structure, possibly detaching the microphone and entrapping the firefighter (photos 1-3).
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