Application: Wildland

Fire brigades are now officially known as fire and rescue services – a title which reflects the changing role and demands placed on them. Fighting fires is no longer the only thing they get called on to do, in fact, it isn’t even the most consistently attended type of incident, according to statistics.

Best garments for firefighters attending high volume pumping incidents

Fire brigades are now officially known as fire and rescue services – a title which reflects the changing role and demands placed on them. Fighting fires is no longer the only thing they get called on to do, in fact, it isn’t even the most consistently attended type of incident, according to statistics.

What are fire and rescue brigades called on to do?

According to the UK Government’s latest statistics (for the year up to December 2019) there were 555,759 incidents requiring fire and rescue service attendance. Of these, 28% (157,156) were fires, including secondary fires (those not involving people or property) – a 12% decrease on the previous year.

False alarm fires were the type of incident most attended at 41%and non-fire incidents 30%.

Non-fire incidents include attendance at flooding, road traffic collisions and animal incidents, along with attending collaboration incidents such as helping other agencies enter/exit from an incident.

44% of the fires attended in the year to December 2019 were primary fires, a 6% decrease on the previous year. Dwelling fires, other building fires and vehicle fires all reduced by similar numbers (between 4 and 5 percent).

Dwelling fires made up the biggest proportion of primary fires, but there have been large decreases in structural fires over the past two decades, due in part to the education and fire safety role of the Fire and Rescue Service, but also driven by an increase in adoption of smoke alarms.

Since October 2015 landlords in the UK have been required to fit smoke detectors, and carbon monoxide detectors where possible, in their properties. Building Regulations also prescribe the type and location of smoke and fire alarm systems for new buildings.

Is firefighter PPE fit for every job?

As the role of firefighters has changed, with response now relatively evenly split between fire and non-fire incidents, are full structural firefighting suits still suitable for every incident?

If brigades only provide one set of response kit, how can it be right for all possible scenarios?

Firefighting kit made for entering fires needs to provide protection from extreme heat and smoke. This necessarily makes it heavy and cumbersome to wear. Is that the right kit to respond to a road traffic incident with people requiring cutting from vehicles? Or to assist with flooding incidents?

Even when responding to fires, how many times do firefighters actually have to go into the flames instead of dealing with the fire from a distance? This raises questions for the industry to answer: does that mean that current turn-out kit is “over-specified”? And does that result in problems of its own, such as firefighters suffering from heat stress, which causes exhaustion, due to wearing hot, heavy kit when its fire protection benefits aren’t required?

What’s the alternative?

This is the key question. There are a host of factors to take into account: operational, safety, stowage, updating procedures, budget… there is no easy answer. However, most would agree there needs to be some improvement.

We make a range of standard and bespoke solutions suitable for differing jobs such high volume pumping, tackling wildfires and attending rescue incidents. The priorities are kit that’s lightweight but also practical and tough. All kit needs to be tough enough to provide protection and designed with practicality in mind.

Some brigades are now using a technical rescue jacket, which can be worn when responding to non-fire incidents.

What other clothing options would work for your brigade? What difference would station clothing that was fire resistant and comfortable make if it meant you could avoid donning full kit for every shout?

Our new product development team works hard to bring to market the best in firefighting kit and we’re keen to reflect the modern firefighting environment. What clothing or kit would you like to see brought to market?

To discuss the options for your brigade, give our friendly team a call on +44 (0) 1332 341030.

All firefighter PPE must conform to a range of international and British standards, but how useful are the test results when choosing your firefighters’ kit? How can you be sure that you have created the right specification for your new firefighting PPE? And what are the elements to consider before making a decision on what to buy?

What standards must firefighting garments meet?

Firefighting clothing must meet a variety of international and British standards including:

• EN 469:2005 – minimum protection requirements for protective clothing for firefighters, measured as Level 1 (lower protection) and Level 2 (higher protection)

• EN 13911 – protective clothing and hoods for firefighters

• BS 8617:2019 – cleaning, maintenance and repair

There are additional standards for helmets, footwear, gloves, eye protection and a range of other firefighting PPE.

Each garment will be tested by an independent specialist laboratory and a test report issued. But as with many things, the numbers don’t tell the whole story.

What is firefighting kit tested for?

The four main areas of performance that firefighting clothing is tested for are:

• Heat protection rating

• Breathability rating

• Ergonomic rating

• Moisture vapour resistance rating

Firefighting suits are made up of layers – usually an outer layer, a moisture and particulate barrier and a thermal lining. Getting the right balance of all three so that the firefighting gear both offers protection and doesn’t hamper the wearer or put them at increased risk of exhaustion is the holy grail of kit design.

Clearly clothing made for tackling fires needs to be able to protect the wearer from heat – but what’s the Goldilocks standard? When does too much heat protection become a problem for other areas of performance?

An increased heat protection rating will increase the weight of the kit and how hot the wearer will get. This decreases the breathability rating. So where is the sweet-spot for the right level of heat protection which also gives your firefighters enough breathability?

The minimum standard for heat protection is 13 – do you need to specify a higher number if that means your team will tire more quickly and be hotter when working, putting them at increased risk of heat exhaustion?

The ergonomic rating tells you how easy it is to move around in the kit, but the assumption is that the easier it is to move around, the more compromises have been made on heat protection due to the materials available but with the right kit that doesn’t have to be the case. Again, it’s about finding the right balance between the protection offered and the practicalities of wear.

The moisture vapour resistance rating (also known as the RET rating) is a measure of how breathable the kit is. A lower number is better for this test.

The moisture barrier in firefighting turnout kits help protect against water, chemicals, and viral agents leaching through on to clothes and skin underneath. But they also need to allow moisture out of the kit to minimise the chances of firefighters suffering from steam burns.

How to decide on the right firefighting kit for you?

With such a large number of variables for each individual piece of firefighting kit, the very best way to decide on what’s right for your brigade is to do some user acceptance testing. Once you’re satisfied the kit meets the minimum standards to keep your crews safe, testing the kit in the field and getting feedback from your team will help you make the right choice.

The kit you choose might depend on the types of incidents you predominantly respond to but should heavily take account of the views of your crews on what kit helps them work for longer or keeps them cooler.

Even kit with very similar testing results may operate differently when used in the field, so deciding on the right firefighting kit for your brigade cannot be a paper exercise. It needs to take account of the realities of what your crews are asked to do, and how the kit helps them do that job.

For advice on how useful tests are when choosing your firefighting kit – or on any aspect of firefighting PPE – give one of our friendly team a call today on +44 (0) 1332 341030.

If you’re responsible for the firefighting kit for your fire and rescue service, it can be a vast undertaking and knowing what to look for when specifying new kit is critical. Staying up to date with the latest technology and products will help keep the firefighters in your services safe, preventing injury and even death.

It’s a complex task and one that state brigades usually only undertake every eight years or so. You’ll need to familiarise yourself with standards, lab test results, types of fabric, and strike a balance between comfort and safety. It’s a huge responsibility and one taken seriously by every buyer we’ve advised.

The right kit at the right time

If essential kit is damaged, you’ll want a replacement ASAP to make sure your firefighters are safe and prepared for the next call. Unfortunately, the industry has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to order lead times that meet customer expectations. Far from the next day delivery we’re used to in our personal lives, the industry standard for delivery of firefighting kit is still 12-18 weeks. That’s a long time to be waiting on life-preserving kit!

At FlamePro, we manufacture in Europe and keep items in stock. If you’re ordering standard items, you can expect to receive them in just a few days. Made to order items are guaranteed within 6-8 weeks, halving the industry standard and making sure you have what you need when you need it.

Balancing comfort and effectiveness

If your crew are spending several hours working hard in all weathers, comfort will be key, but knowing the situations firefighters face, there can be no compromise on safety. When specifying kit, it’s essential that your crew member can say it feels good on their back. This is where looking at user trials rather than just test results can give you the best kind of information.

Structural suits are heavy. And with 31 per cent of call outs being non-fire related incidents, over specifying on heat resistance can mean kit is heavier to wear than necessary, making it hotter and subjecting firefighters to unnecessary heat stress.

The right kit for the task

While state crews are fighting fires on 28% of calls, private crews – at airports and petrochemical sites, for example – spend the majority of their time rescuing people from heights and other non-fire call outs.

It’s important, therefore, to consider what your firefighters need. While a full structural kit will always be an essential for those call outs that do involve fire, the second kit could be a lightweight kit that provides protection against the elements, but is easier and more comfortable to wear when not working in intense heat.

When specifying your kit, consider what your crew does the most and what they need to keep them safe and comfortable when they’re doing it. Do you only need one type of turnout kit, or would a couple of versions give your crews the flexibility they need?

There is a lot to consider when choosing the right suit for your firefighters. Like, whether or not there is enough heat resistance, or whether you want a more breathable option. Using our performance grading scales you’ll be able to easily find the suit for you. You can learn about the fabrics which make up each suit too. We know it’s important that you make the right choice.

If you would like any further advice on what to look for when specifying your new firefighting kit don’t hesitate to get in touch or call one of our experts on +44 (0) 1332 341030.

Firefighting kit has a number of functions; it protects crew members in a wide range of situations and makes them instantly recognisable in an emergency. Replacing your kit at the right time keeps you safe and comfortable, no matter what the shout is for.

According to the UK Home Office, in the last year, 28 per cent of call-outs involved responding to fires, 42 per cent were fire false alarms and 31 per cent were non-fire incidents. Non-fire incidents have increased from 23 per cent of call outs ten years ago.

The five largest categories of non-fire incidents in the last year were road traffic collisions, effecting entry/exit, assisting other agencies, medical incidents, and flooding incidents. This demonstrates the breadth of tasks a firefighter might be expected to complete when wearing their kit. In a nutshell, you need to be ready for anything!

Making your firefighting kit last

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves by focusing only on replacement; there are ways of making your firefighting kit last. Inspecting it after every shout and regular cleaning and maintenance will make your kit last as long as possible.

We’ve written useful blog posts on how to inspect your kit and how to maintain your kit to help fire and rescue services to get the most out of your most important investment.

When does turnout kit expire?

Technically there’s not a blanket expiry date for firefighting kit, though manufacturers might specify the lifespan of individual garments. The new British Standard for the inspection, testing, cleaning, decontamination, drying, repairs, replacement and retirement/ disposal of firefighting personal protective equipment (PPE) is BS8617. Published in 2019, it recommends that firefighting kit should be replaced at least every 10 years.

So the answer to the question: how often should I replace my firefighting kit? is at least every 10 years, according to the British Standard, but there are reasons for not waiting that long.

Should I replace my firefighting kit sooner?

While private fire and rescue services might not face too many call outs, state operated fire and rescue services in England responded to 557,299 incidents in the last year. Of these, 153,957 were fires.

With so much opportunity for wear and tear, it’s inevitable that firefighting kit will reach the point of needing to be replaced.

In some instances, it might simply make economic sense. If a new jacket costs upwards of £200, for example, and has already had £150 invested in repairs, it might be more cost effective to replace the jacket the next time it is damaged instead of paying for another repair. Professional care and maintenance companies will inspect kit every time it goes for cleaning and should provide advice about when kit should be condemned as it’s unsafe to wear, or when it makes more economic sense to replace it.

Fit is essential. When the London Fire Brigade replaced its firefighting kit in 2018, Deputy Commissioner Tom George acknowledged that they needed a kit that could support and protect crews in a range of incidents whether fighting fires, freeing people trapped in crashed cars or complex rescues from collapsed buildings.

Firefighting kit must also be retired if it has been contaminated by chemical, biological, radioactive or nuclear agents.

Now you know how to identify when your firefighting kit is past it’s best and how often you should be replacing your kit, take a look at our full range of structural, wildland fire, HVP and rescue kit here, or call one of our experts on +44 (0) 1332 341030.