Wesco Firestormer™ Logger Boots Wildland Fire Fighting Boots for men and women NFPA certified

- Big Black Boots is closed - Big Black Boots has been selling boots since 1985 and online since 1995. We were the first boot store on the internet! But after 34 years we have retired. We've closed our web store. But are keeping our web site up to provide you with much more detailed information than available at the manufacturers' web sites. And we also have exhaustive information on sizing and how to measure your feet and legs for tall boots. We've removed pricing info since you can get more up to date prices from the manufacturer's web sites. But we're keeping the prices for the various options here since it's sometimes hard to get that information until you order a custom pair of boots. The options prices may be out of date but they don't change as often or as much as the actual boot prices. We're also keeping the website order forms up because they contain lots of useful information which may not be available on the manufacturer's website. These contain a lot of information which can help when you order directly from Wesco or Dehner. Of course, the order forms no longer accept orders or payments. Our email address at will be kept active so customers can contact us in the future. Our customer lists and records are NOT for sale. Thanks for being such great customers over the years. It's been a pleasure helping you get into great boots that fit well. Ron & Rich Big Black Boots

These are the 10" Wesco Firestormer wildland fire boots.

These boots are kept on the shelf in both men's and women's sizes so they're ready to be shipped quickly.
If Wesco is out of a stock size, they expedite building more boots in that size as quickly as possible to ensure availability.

If you need a size outside the standard size range or options like steel toes or taller boots, they can be custom ordered in either men's or women's sizes.

Wesco had offered these boots in women's sizes for about two fire seasons but has now dropped that option. Most women wildland firefighters simply order men's boots since the stock version and the custom versions are already available in such a wide range of sizes. U.S. Men's Sizes 2 to 19½ — widths AAA to EEE. We have sizing advice for women at the bottom of this page.

Wesco Firestormer™ Model # BKF310100F Lace-to-Toe Red Lug identifies the Vibram #100F fire soles

Features: Specifically designed and built as Wildland Fire Fighting Protective Footwear Current NFPA 1977-2016 Certified / UL Certified: Meets or exceeds the NFPA 1977, Standard on Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting, 2016 Edition. This is the current NFPA standard. Boots are Certified through 2018 Fire Season and beyond. Versatile lace-to-toe lacing style Optional regular toe or semi-lace-to-toe lacing style available on custom orders Optional steel safety toe available on custom orders 10" Height (higher boots available on custom orders) Heavy (7 Ounce / 2.8mm) oil tanned fire and water resistant leather Lightweight black no-burn Technora® upper stitching Heavy Black Kevlar® sole stitching Sturdy, fire-resistant black leather laces StitchDown Sole Construction Hard Toe Heavy Steel Shank #100F Vibram® fire resistant heavy lug soles made from Vibram's FIRE Compound #316 - flame resistant, heat resistant -- these special soles are marked with a distinctive red lug above the Vibram logo. Snag-resistant Solid Brass Studs and Eyelets for durability and strength Full Gusseted Tongue - sewn all the way to the boot top Heavy Duty, 9 Iron Leather Midsole and Insole - no cheap plastic midsoles to melt on the fire line Removable leather "Kilty" / False Tongue On the shelf / kept in stock in these sizes: U.S. Men's Sizes 8 through 12 + 13 — D & E widths Larger range of sizes on custom orders. Options for Custom Boots: Not many options are available for the custom versions of the Firestormer boots because these boots must pass NFPA certification which limits choices of leather and options. Custom Firestormer boots are currently taking about [an error occurred while processing this directive] to build. These boots can be custom made in U.S. Men's Sizes 2 to 19½ — widths AAA to EEE Custom boots can be made in regular toe, semi-lace-to-toe or regular toe lacing configuration Custom regular & semi-lace-to-toe boots can be made with steel safety toes but composite safety toes are not available on these NFPA certified boots. Custom boots can be made with heels higher or lower than the standard logger heel Custom boots can be made in these heights: 8", 10", 12", 14", 16", 18", 20"

What Fire Agencies Say About Boots:

Most fire agencies will issue you all the gear you need, except for the boots... they're your responsibility. Wildland protective fire boots are considered "personal gear".

To quote the U.S. Forest Service: "The Forest Service will provide you Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) clothing, hardhat and fire shelter, but you must provide your own lug soled, leather eight-inch topped boots."

What they mean is that your boots should be at least 8" high. We think higher is better since it offers more protection and doesn't add much weight... most of the weight in boots is in the tough sole and heel... so you can add a bit more height for protection without adding much weight.

The U.S. Forest Service Health and Safety Code Handbook (FSH 6709.11) Section 25.12 specifies the requirements for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to be worn by personnel engaged in wildland firefighting. Here's the requirement it sets for the boots firefighters must provide: "Boots. Wear heavy-duty, leather, laced boots with nonskid soles and tops at least 8 inches (204 mm) high. Steel-toed (metal cup) footwear is not recommended for fire suppression." The handbook also specifies that fireproof pants be bloused over boots to protect legs against hot ash and cinders.

The Bureau of Land Management safety handbook says that soles must be "melt-resistant": "Personnel assigned to fires must wear 8-inch high, lace-type exterior leather work boots with non-slip, Vibram-type, melt-resistant soles."

Here's what the Fish and Wildlife Service has to say: "You must wear heavy duty, all leather, lace-type work boots with non-slip (Vibram type) melt-resistant soles and heels when working on fires. The leather top must be at least 8 inches (20.3 cm) in height, measured from the top of the heel."

About steel toes:

"Wear steel toe boots and your toes get fried." Another urban (wildland?) legend. Lot's of people worry about that and the USFS itself recommends against using steel toes in fire boots, but the NFPA likes steel toes in fire boots for both structural and wildland applications. Not the first time bureaucracies give conflicting advice... and not the last.

Here's the scoop... NFPA specifications for wildland fire boots include steel toes.

Military pilots wear Nomex flight suits and fire resistant, steel toe flight boots.

You're a grown up. Decide for yourself based on your experience and the advice of local people you trust. Remember that those bureaucrats wear Gucci loafers to work. You wear great, protective boots to work and have more experience to make this decision!

So if you need the protection, you now have the option of steel toes on the custom Firestormer boots. The stock Firestormer boots have the standard hard toes.

Firestormer^TM Wildland Fire Boots:

This is the classic boot worn by wildland fire fighters, smoke jumpers, hot shot crews, forest rangers, forestry workers, park rangers, engineers, surveyors, oil-field workers, ranch hands, hikers and motorcyclists. If you've ever watched forest firefighters at work, you've seen these boots in action.

WESCO builds these boots on special foot-conforming boot lasts expressly designed for building high quality, tough work boots. The boots are constructed with a special extra heavy, 7 Ounce / 2.8mm fire and water resistant leather. These boots provide superb protection for your feet in harsh environments.

These boots are sewn with heavy black Kevlar and Technora^® thread for extra strength and abrasion resistance. The black leather laces resist fire damage, are easy on the hands and are easy to find when you need replacements.

Finally, these boots are fitted with the new hi-tech Vibram #100F fire-resistant heavy lug soles. These heavy duty fire-resistant Vibram lug soles and heels are not just glued on, they are also sewn with heavy fire resistant Kevlar thread. Wesco has one of the few machines which can sew through the many layers of thick leather and heavy Vibram lug sole to make sure the soles stay on these sturdy boots.

The midsoles and inner soles of these boots are made of high quality leather instead of the delicate plastic materials often used in cheap logger boots. Those synthetic materials in poorly constructed boots can melt when exposed to heat causing their soles to come off.

Based on the classic Wesco Jobmaster Logger Boots:

People often ask us what makes the Firestormer boots so special. The answer is that these fire boots are the same in basic design and construction details as Wesco Jobmaster, Highliner lineman and Boss Engineer boots. The added features we described above specialize this boot to its task, but this boot is essentially an updated version of the popular Wesco Jobmaster logger boot which has been worn by wildland fire fighters since 1918.

Take me to the secure order form for standard stock Firestormer boots.

Take me to the secure order form for custom Firestormer boots.

Don't Delay - Get your boots now:

During past fire seasons, we and Wesco have both run out some sizes during the season.

If you need custom made boots, it will take [an error occurred while processing this directive] to make up a new pair. If we and Wesco run out of your stock size it can take weeks till more boots come out of production. So don't wait till you think you need them... get them early.

Most fire agencies will issue you all the gear you need, except for the boots... they're your responsibility. Wildland protective fire boots are "personal gear". You can always get a yellow Nomex fire resistant shirt on short notice but good boots are another story.

Don't worry about getting a pair of these great boots then not being called to the fire lines. These are boots for everyday wear because they're tough and comfortable. You can wear them to work, to the mall, to the theater or out clubbing. And... when you do get called to the fire lines you don't want to show up in a pair of flimsy, uncomfortable, imitation logger boots with plastic midsoles!

Take me to the secure order form for standard stock Firestormer boots.

Take me to the secure order form for custom Firestormer boots.

General information about ordering from BIG BLACK BOOTS

How do I know what size to order? Clue: Get the same size as your feet. Measure your feet... don't guess.

How to measure your feet

About men's Firestormer sizing — How They Fit:

Firestormer boots are kept on the shelf / kept in stock in these U.S. Men's Sizes:

U.S. Men's Sizes 8 through 12 + 13 — D & E widths

Custom boots can be ordered in U.S. Men's Sizes 2 to 19½ — widths AAA to EEE.

Wesco boots run true to your U.S. Men's size as measured on a men's Brannock measuring device used in shoe stores. They are designed to be worn with boot socks and the sizing advice assumes you will be wearing heavy socks with the boots. Order these boots in your true U.S. men's size or ½ size and/or one width larger to accommodate extra heavy or multiple socks. It's OK for these lace-up boots to be slightly large since the lacing system will help ensure a proper fit. Being slightly large also gives you more latitude in choosing thicker or thinner socks or using thicker insole liners.

Click here for more detailed sizing advice including how to measure your feet to determine your true U.S. Men's size if you don't have access to a Brannock measuring device used in most shoe stores.

About women's Firestormer sizing — How They Fit:

Compared to a man's foot in the same length, a woman's foot is likely to be a bit narrower. A woman's foot is also likely to have a slightly narrower heel than a man's foot of the same size and width. Those differences are less noticeable in larger sizes.

So, the lasts, the wood or plastic form on which boots are made, will be shaped slightly differently depending on whether they are designed for men or women. Those subtle differences are important for dress footwear worn with thinner socks. But for sturdy lace-up boots worn with heavy socks, those subtle differences are negligible.

Click here for more detailed sizing advice including how to measure your feet to determine your true U.S. Men's size if you don't have access to a men's or women's Brannock measuring device used in most shoe stores.

How to convert between Women's & Men's sizes:

Men's to women's: add one to the men's size / subtract one from the men's width.

Women's to men's: subtract one from the women's size / add one to the women's width.

Or your friend uses a women's Brannock device and finds that she is women's size 10 C. So she converts that women's size 10 C to men's size 9 D. Now she can order a stock men's Firestormer in men's size 9 D.

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