SFD.055REV4 - Uniforms.pdf

Manual Name: Spring Fire Department Guidelines Document Title: Uniforms Chief’s Signature: Document Number: SFD.055 Date: 05/25/2022 Revision Number: 04 PURPOSE Spring Fire Department takes pride in the appearance of its employees and members. A standard uniform for staffing personnel will assist...

Manual Name: Spring Fire Department Guidelines Document Title: Uniforms Chief’s Signature: Document Number: SFD.055 Date: 05/25/2022 Revision Number: 04 PURPOSE Spring Fire Department takes pride in the appearance of its employees and members. A standard uniform for staffing personnel will assist the department with standardization throughout the service area. Your personal appearance reflects the department. All members are required to report to work neatly groomed and dressed. You are expected to maintain personal hygiene habits that are generally accepted in the community, i.e., clean clothing, good grooming and personal hygiene, and appropriate social behavior. Members are always required to wear Department uniforms. If you report to duty inappropriately dressed, you will be asked to go home and return to work dressed appropriately. Recurring problems will result in discipline up to and including termination. REVIEW The Fire Chief or designee is responsible for reviewing this policy annually and assuring its accuracy. REFERENCES/DEFINITIONS Class A Uniform – The Class A uniform is a formal attire that includes the long sleeve uniform shirt and tie to be worn for ceremonies and other functions when seasonally appropriate and designated by the Command Staff. Class B Uniform – The Class B uniform is a semi-formal attire that includes the short or long sleeve uniform shirt to be worn for public relation events and other functions designated by the Command Staff. Class C Uniform – The Class C uniform is the required attire to be worn while on duty. Dress Uniform – The Dress Uniform is a formal attire that includes the dress coat and hat for ceremonies and other functions when seasonally appropriate and designated by the Command Staff. Non-Uniformed Personnel – Administrative Personnel. Personnel – All Volunteer, Full Time, and Part Time employees with the Spring Fire Department. Duty Boots – Solid black colored closed toe, polished boot. PROCEDURE Dress Uniform / Class A Uniform The dress/class A uniform shall be worn on all Line of Duty Death funerals whether internal or external, ceremonies, and court appearances. Any other events that a dress/class A uniform is requested shall be approved by a Deputy Chief or above. Page 1 of 11 Manual Name: Spring Fire Department Guidelines Document Title: Uniforms Document Number: SFD.055 Date: 05/25/2022 Revision Number: 04 These uniforms shall always be kept pressed/ironed and ready for use. Class B Uniform The Class B Uniform is a semi-formal attire that shall be worn at public relations events unless otherwise instructed by a Deputy Chief or above. All members attending a public relations event will dress in the same uniform. Class B Uniforms can be worn at fire department events at the discretion of the Station Officer/Staffing Officer. Class B Uniforms shall be worn to the annual fire department meeting. If a member does not have a Class B Uniform, the Class C Uniform shall be worn to the meeting. This uniform shall always be kept pressed / ironed and ready for use. Class C Uniform The Class C Uniform shall be worn by all members while on duty conducting normal shift assignments. Firefighters, Lieutenants, and Apparatus Operators will wear a department issued navy t-shirt with a white outlined Spring Fire Department badge above the left chest. The rank will be in white lettering above the right chest. 'Spring Fire' will be on the back of the t-shirt in white outlined lettering. Captains will wear a department issued navy t-shirt with a gold outlined Spring Fire Department badge above the left chest. The rank will be in gold lettering above the right chest. 'Spring Fire' will be on the back of the t-shirt in gold outlined lettering. Chief Officers will wear white polos with the embroidered patch above the left chest and name/rank above the right chest. Chiefs can wear white t-shirts when deemed necessary. Spring Fire Department issued t-shirts for special events may be worn at a Chief Officer's discretion. This is including but not limited to Breast Cancer Awareness or Astros themed Spring Fire Department shirts. Members responding from home to an emergency incident or spending time at the station conducting non-staffing activities should wear the Class C Uniform. This is highly recommended but not required. Uniform Contents Dress Uniform shall consist of the following:  Long sleeve blue or white button-down (Chief Officers) shirt with the Spring Fire Department patch sewn on both sleeves Page 2 of 11 Manual Name: Spring Fire Department Guidelines Document Title: Uniforms Document Number: SFD.055 Date: 05/25/2022 Revision Number: 04  Dress navy coat with the Spring Fire Department patch sewn on both sleeves and markings indicative of rank and years of service (A Maltese cross will be added to the wearer's left lower sleeve for every 5 years of service, to include time served at other departments, Example: 20 years of service = 4 Maltese crosses)  Dress navy pants  Badge  Collar brass  Name plate  Medal(s)  Dark navy tie  Dress cap with insignia device  Black dress belt  Black dress shoes Class A Uniform shall consist of the following:  Long sleeve blue button-down shirt with the Spring Fire Department patch sewn on both sleeves  Dress navy pants  Badge  Collar brass  Name plate  Commendation bar(s)  Shoulder boards  Dark navy tie  Black dress belt / Black leather belt with no buckle  Black dress shoes / Duty boots Class A Uniform (Chief Officers) shall consist of the following:  Long sleeve blue button-down shirt with the Spring Fire Department patch sewn on both sleeves  Dress navy pants  Badge  Collar brass  Name plate  Commendation bar(s)  Shoulder boards  Dark navy tie  Black dress belt  Black dress shoes Class B Uniform shall consist of the following:  Short or long sleeve blue button-down shirt with the Spring Fire Department patch sewn on the left sleeve and an EMS certification patch sewn on the right sleeve  Dark navy pants Page 3 of 11 Manual Name: Spring Fire Department Guidelines Document Title: Uniforms Document Number: SFD.055 Date: 05/25/2022 Revision Number: 04       Badge Collar brass Name plate Commendation bar(s) Black leather belt with no buckle Duty boots Class B Uniform (Chief Officers) shall consist of the following:  Short or long sleeve white button-down shirt with the Spring Fire Department patch sewn on the left sleeve and an EMS certification patch sewn on the right sleeve  Dress navy pants  Badge  Collar brass  Name plate  Commendation bar(s)  Black dress belt / Black leather belt with no buckle  Black dress shoes I Duty boots Class C Uniform shall consist of the following:  Navy t-shirt  Navy pants  Black belt with no buckle  Duty boots  Devices, Rank Markings, and Insignia Placement Nameplates will be centered above the wearer’s right pocket, 1/8” above the seam. Names plates will be silver for Firefighters, Apparatus Operators, and Lieutenants, and will be gold for Captains and Chief Officers. Commendation bar(s) and medal(s) will be worn in accordance to the latest version of SFD.020 – Awards and Medals. Firefighters:  Badge - silver with the firefighter scramble  Collar brass - silver SFD insignia and will be placed centered to the collar tip, ¼" from the edge of the collar, just inside the stitching  Shoulder boards - dark navy boards with silver firefighter scramble  Dress coat – wide silver band on each sleeve  Dress cap - navy in color, no band with a silver firefighter scramble insignia Page 4 of 11 Manual Name: Spring Fire Department Guidelines Document Title: Uniforms Document Number: SFD.055 Date: 05/25/2022 Revision Number: 04 Apparatus Operators:  Badge - silver with the firefighter scramble  Collar brass - silver SFD insignia and will be placed centered to the collar tip, ¼" from the edge of the collar, just inside the stitching  Shoulder boards - dark navy boards with silver firefighter scramble  Dress coat - wide silver band and a thin silver band on each sleeve  Dress cap - navy in color, no band with a silver firefighter scramble insignia Lieutenants:  Badge - silver with a single bugle  Collar brass - single silver bugle, placed centered to the collar tip, ½" from each edge of the collar with the bell of the bugle downward toward the point of the collar  Shoulder boards - dark navy boards with a single silver bugle  Dress coat - two (2) wide silver bands on each sleeve Captains:  Badge - gold with a single bugle  Collar brass - single gold bugle, placed centered to the collar tip, ½" from each edge of the collar with the bell of the bugle downward toward the point of the collar  Shoulder boards - dark navy boards with a single gold bugle  Dress coat - wide gold band on each sleeve  Dress cap - navy in color, gold band with a single gold bugle insignia Senior Captains:  Badge - gold with two (2) parallel bugles  Collar brass - two (2) parallel gold bugles, placed centered to the collar tip, ¼" from each edge of the collar with the bells of the bugles downward toward the point of the collar  Shoulder boards - dark navy boards with two (2) parallel gold bugles  Dress coat - wide gold band and a thin gold band on each sleeve  Dress cap - navy in color, gold band with two (2) parallel gold bugles insignia District Chiefs:  Badge - gold with two (2) crossed bugles  Collar brass - two (2) crossed gold bugles, placed centered to the collar tip, ¼" from each edge of the collar with the bells of the bugles downward toward the point and edges of the collar  Shoulder boards - dark navy boards with two (2) crossed gold bugles  Dress coat - two (2) wide gold bands on each sleeve Page 5 of 11 Manual Name: Spring Fire Department Guidelines Document Title: Uniforms Document Number: SFD.055 Date: 05/25/2022 Revision Number: 04  Dress cap - black in color with a white top, gold band with two (2) crossed gold bugles insignia Deputy Chiefs:  Badge - gold with three (3) crossed bugles  Collar brass - three (3) crossed gold bugles, placed centered to the collar tip, ¼" from each edge of the collar with the bells of the bugles downward toward the point and edges of the collar  Shoulder boards - dark navy boards with three (3) crossed gold bugles  Dress coat - three (3) wide gold bands on each sleeve  Dress cap - black in color with a white top, gold band with three (3) crossed gold bugles insignia Assistant Fire Chief:  Badge - gold with four (4) crossed bugles  Collar brass - four (4) crossed gold bugles, placed centered to the collar tip, ¼" from each edge of the collar with the bells of the bugles downward toward the point and edges of the collar  Shoulder boards - dark navy boards with four (4) crossed gold bugles  Dress cap – black in color with a with a white top, gold band with four (4) crossed gold bugles insignia Fire Chief:  Badge - gold with five (5) crossed bugles  Collar brass - five (5) crossed gold bugles, placed centered to the collar tip, ¼" from each edge of the collar with the bells of the bugles downward toward the point and edges of the collar  Shoulder boards - dark navy boards with five (5) crossed gold bugles  Dress coat - five (5) wide gold bands on each sleeve  Dress cap - black in color with a white top, gold band with five (5) crossed gold bugles insignia Under Shirts Under shirts are allowed and will be either navy or white. Navy under shirts will be worn with blue Class A and B uniform shirts. Non-Uniformed Personnel Non-uniformed personnel include but are not limited to, Human Resources, Administrative Assistant(s), Information Technology, and office personnel. Non-uniformed members may wear business casual attire (non-form-fitting jeans, polo-shirts, shirts with collars or department issued collared shirts). Open toed shoes and sandals are not permitted. Non-uniformed personnel are expected to maintain a clean appearance while representing the Spring Fire Page 6 of 11 Manual Name: Spring Fire Department Guidelines Document Title: Uniforms Document Number: SFD.055 Date: 05/25/2022 Revision Number: 04 Department. Department T-shirts may be worn on Friday’s. During the month of October, Breast Cancer T-shirts may be worn all month. Operations Support Personnel Support Services personnel include but are not limited to, Logistics, Apparatus Maintenance, Facility Maintenance, and Training. Due to the nature of the variety types of activities, a specific uniform is not defined. The attire for these personnel will be approved by their respective Chief Officer. Department Issued Uniforms Spring Fire Department will provide the members of the department with the following uniforms. These items can be issued/ordered when the member is cleared to sign up for staffing shifts.  Volunteer / Part Time  (3) Navy T-Shirts  (2) Navy Pants  (1) Navy Blue Dress Pants (Not issued to Recruits)  (1) Black Belt  (1) Class B Uniform Shirt (Not Issued to Recruits)  (1) Class A Uniform Shirt (Not Issued to Recruits)  (1) Silver Name Plate (Not Issued to Recruits)  (1) Navy Tie (Not Issued to Recruits)  (1) Raincoat (Not Issued to Recruits)  (1) Winter Coat (Not Issued to Recruits)  Full Time  (6) Navy T-Shirts  (4) Navy Pants  (1) Dress Pant  (1) Black Belt  (1) Class B Uniform Shirt  (1) Class A Uniform Shirt  (1) Winter Coat  (1) Silver Name Plate  (1) Navy Tie  (1) Raincoat Uniform Allowance An individual will receive the above for the first initial issuance. Each year after, a uniform allowance will be given to uniformed personnel. Full-Time employees will receive a $400 a year allowance and Volunteer/Part-Time personnel will receive a $200 a year allowance. Yearly uniforms allowances will not be transferred from person to person or from year to year. Page 7 of 11 Manual Name: Spring Fire Department Guidelines Document Title: Uniforms Document Number: SFD.055 Date: 05/25/2022 Revision Number: 04 The yearly allowance will be used for uniforms only. This includes t-shirts, pants, belts, Class A shirt, Class B shirt, hats, collar brass, and winter job shirt. Yearly uniform allowances will be released February 1 of each year. Uniform allowances are active until November 30 of each year. Only emergency purchases approved by the Deputy Chief of Support Services will be allowed between December 1 and January 31 of each year. If a department wide uniform change occurs, the department has the authority to lower or eliminate an annual uniform allowance. All uniformed and support personnel will be given a $100.00 boot allowance each year, separate from the above listed uniform allowance. Boots purchased must meet the requirements in this policy. Each member is responsible for submitting their receipt to receive reimbursement. If the purchase of the boots is under $100.00, only the amount spent will be reimbursed. Boot allowances will be made available from February 1 through November 30 of each year. Winter Coats / Raincoats Spring Fire Department provides a yellow raincoat with reflective trim and a navy winter coat. These are the only two approved coats/jackets allowed to be worn on duty. Winter Job Shirts Spring Fire Department provides winter job shirts to members. A winter job shirt can also be purchased with the member’s yearly uniform allowance. Only winter job shirts purchased from the approved vendor can be worn unless prior approval is given by the Deputy Chief of Support Services. Winter job shirts may be worn as part of Class B, and Class C uniforms. Station T-Shirts/Apparel Each individual station may create and purchase station t-shirts/apparel. Any design created for a station t-shirt/apparel shall be approved by the Executive Staff. These t-shirts/apparel shall not be worn on duty. Ball Caps / Hats Only approved Spring Fire Department ball caps will be allowed to be worn on duty. If a member chooses to purchase their own hat, it must be approved by the Deputy Chief of Support Services prior to purchase. Navy beanie hats with the Spring Fire Department patch/name are allowed during cold weather. Hats will be worn with the bill to the front. Hats shall have a natural curved bill; no flat bills are permitted. Hats that are frayed, faded, or worn out must be replaced. Ball caps and hats are prohibited from being worn while wearing a Dress, Class A or Class B uniform. Shorts Shorts may be worn on duty in place of the navy pants on Class C uniforms only. The approved short is the Navy Blue 5-11 short with cargo pockets. These shorts are not standard Page 8 of 11 Manual Name: Spring Fire Department Guidelines Document Title: Uniforms Document Number: SFD.055 Date: 05/25/2022 Revision Number: 04 issue and can be purchased through the member’s uniform allowance. If a member does not have a uniform allowance, that member can purchase the approved shorts on his or her own. There will be no reimbursement for shorts purchased by the member. While wearing shorts, black tennis shoes and black ankle socks are required. No other color should be visible on the shoe or sock. These items are not provided by the fire department and are the responsibility of the individual member. The decision of wearing shorts or pants as the members’ choice of uniform for the shift, is up to the individual. Not all crew members have to be wearing the same type of pant/shorts. Shorts are allowed from April 1 of each year until October 31 of each year. Miscellaneous Shorts and tennis shoes are allowed during workout sessions during a staffing shift. The proper uniform shall be donned prior to any responses. Appropriate work out attire does not include form fitting clothing, swimwear, halter tops, bare midriffs and inappropriate shorts. Proper workout attire includes clothing that is comfortable to exercise in and is respectable to other participants (i.e. the chest and midriff must be covered at all times, shorts must be of acceptable length, no yoga pants/shorts (form fitting) and vulgar and/or offensive screenings on attire will not be tolerated). Bare feet, sockonly, sandals, open-toe shoes, crocs, dress shoes, and boots are prohibited while working out. Firefighters shall sleep in appropriate attire. Minimum: t-shirts, gym wear, shorts, sweatpants, etc. Wearing inappropriate clothing in common spaces like the bunkrooms, hallways, lounge areas, dayrooms, apparatus bays, etc. is not acceptable. All department issued uniforms except pants will be returned to Human Resources upon separation from the department. Failure to return department property may result in payroll deduction and/or criminal charges. All uniform orders will be purchased online utilizing the approved uniform vendor link on the Spring Fire Department personnel home page at http://home.springfd.int. Any request that cannot be fulfilled through the uniform order page, will then have to be requested through the Quartermaster's Office. A Purchase Order must be approved by the Administrative Assistant prior to ordering. Grooming Standards Individual officers are responsible for the appearance of members under their direct supervision. All members are responsible to abide by departmental grooming standards and maintain a neat and professional appearance while representing Spring Fire Department or in uniform. Hair: Page 9 of 11 Manual Name: Spring Fire Department Guidelines Document Title: Uniforms Document Number: SFD.055 Date: 05/25/2022 Revision Number: 04         Hair shall be maintained clean and neat in appearance. Sideburns shall be maintained at a length and/or configuration which will not come into contact with a breathing apparatus face piece (inner seal) at any point. The wearing of a wig or hairpiece while in uniform is allowed for the purpose of covering natural baldness or disfiguration. Hair must be neatly cut on the back and sides, forming a smooth, symmetrical appearance so that it does not extend beyond mid-ear or the shirt collar. The overall style must be neat, natural and balanced proportionally. The hair of all female members shall not jeopardize the personal safety of the firefighter in the performance of firefighting or other emergency operations. Hair may be dyed, tinted, or frosted in colors naturally occurring in human hair. Any stripes, spots, or color other than natural is prohibited. Hair will not be worn in an extreme fad or style such as, but not limited to: cornrows, pigtails, Mohawks, track designs, ducktails, etc. Female members may use Non-flammable hair restraints (rubber bands / barrettes) may be worn but must match the hair color, or be black or brown, and have no ornamentation. Male members are not permitted to wear hair restraints. Natural styles may be worn within the above limitations. Facial Hair:       Mustaches may be worn but must be neat in appearance. Handlebar mustaches are not permitted. Mustaches shall be trimmed so the full upper lip is exposed. The mustache shall not extend more than ½” below the corners of the mouth. Facial hair must in no way restrict the positive inner seal of the breathing apparatus face piece. Beards and goatees are not permitted. Lower lip whiskers may not exceed one-half (1/2”) inch in any dimension Piercings/Jewelry:     Members may wear jewelry of a conservative style at their discretion so long as it does not present a safety concern. Female members may wear stud earrings in diamond, gold, or silver only. Stud earring shall not exceed 6mm in size. No other type of ear ornament shall be permitted. Only one (1) earring per earlobe will be allowed. Members can wear one (1) ring per hand and a watch. One (1) neck chain is permissible if worn on the inside to the shirt and can go unnoticed and is not the choke type. No bracelets, except “medical alert” type, will be worn. Body piercings are not authorized while in uniform. No articles shall be attached to or through the ear, nose, tongue, eyebrow, or any other body part, except for a clear tongue retainer. No other body piercing retainers are permissible. Page 10 of 11 Manual Name: Spring Fire Department Guidelines Document Title: Uniforms Document Number: SFD.055 Date: 05/25/2022 Revision Number: 04 Tattoos  Visible tattoos shall not be inappropriate or offensive in nature. Grooming – Other      Perfume and cologne should be worn in moderation. The applications of cosmetics must be consistent with the professional appearance required by the Department. Members choosing to wear cosmetics will apply them lightly, colors will neither be too bright nor too dark. False eyelashes will not be permitted. Lipstick will not be worn with shades that distinctly contrast with the complexion, that detract from the uniform, or that are extreme. Some examples include, but are not limited to purple, gold, black, blue, white, bright red, khaki, camouflage colors, and fluorescent colors. Fingernails will be kept neatly trimmed and will not extend more than ¼” beyond the ends of the fingers. Fingernail polish is permitted. Shades may not be extreme or detract from the uniform. Page 11 of 11