When I first became married senior firefighters were quick to inform me of the dangers of wearing my wedding band while working. I defied the warnings and continued to wear my ring. I have seen photos over the years of “degloved” fingers and other injuries related to wearing jewelry on the fireground.
This week a mentor of mine who has recently retired but continues to perform vehicle maintenance proudly showed me his finger. He was working on a department vehicle while holding a wrench tightening a nut on a radio console. His ring touched the frame which was grounded and shorted out. It caused a second degree burn to his ring finger and damaged his ring. While this had potential for a greater injury it turned out to be relatively minor.
Recently, I have seen many fire service related members begin wearing a silicone based ring. I began wearing a Qalo ring this past year and am very happy with my decision that provides me the ability to display your marital status while decreasing your chances of injury. See the Qalo website for additional information and options - http://qalo.com/collections/all?gclid=CIqBqu7NrsoCFcMRHwodlcEFuA
Please heed the warnings and look at your options so you can make an educated decision.
Comment
Great post my good friend Tim Soodle de-gloved his ring finger in Albuquerque in the 90's getting down from a ladder truck he caught it on the railing. He had to have the finger amputated. I have seen some firefighters opt for wedding ring tattoos as an alternative.
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