PPE Makers Stress Economy, Safety And Comfort

Fire-Dex exhibited turnout pants with an internal harness built into the waist and pockets.
Fire-Dex exhibited turnout pants with an internal harness built into the waist and pockets.
Honeywell showed Ranger Combat Ready Gear at FRI, along with its new 4200 boot and other personal protective equipment.
Honeywell showed Ranger Combat Ready Gear at FRI, along with its new 4200 boot and other personal protective equipment.
Globe Manufacturing displayed three versions of its internal harness pants, shown here being tested in a firefighting situation.
Globe Manufacturing displayed three versions of its internal harness pants, shown here being tested in a firefighting situation.

Personal protective equipment manufacturers made a strong showing in Chicago at the Fire-Rescue International (FRI) trade show, exhibiting gear that offered economy for purchasers and resilient protection for wearers.

Honeywell Safety introduced its new line of Ranger Combat Ready Gear.

Tony Wyman, Honeywell’s vice president of marketing, noted firefighters are concerned about the threat of heart attack and stroke because of the physical challenges of the job. That, he said, is why Honeywell’s ergonomically designed gear “gives high protection from heat, yet is light in weight and moves more freely with the wearer’s body.”

Ranger Combat Ready Gear is form-fitting and custom-tailored for individual firefighters, he said, and available in several outer shell, thermal liner and moisture barrier choices.

“We’re making bunker gear for the firefighter who needs to get five feet farther into the building,” Wyman said, “so we emphasize both performance and comfort.”

Honeywell also displayed its new 4200 boot, a lightweight, firefighting model that uses design elements of athletic shoes and military footwear aimed at comfort and flexibility while offering full protection.

Wyman said Honeywell is working on a next-generation boot “that will put together the best elements from military applications, athletics and other industries that serve customers working in difficult situations.”

Globe Manufacturing exhibited its Classix turnout gear line, aimed at “delivering quality at a value price for today’s budget-constrained customer,” according to Rob Freese, senior vice president of marketing.

Classix gear is available in a variety of material and option choices, Freese noted, as well as in regular or low-rise pants.

Globe also showed three variations of its internal harness series gear that firefighters can use as a ladder belt for fall protection, a personal escape device, and in a drag-rescue application.

In addition, Globe exhibited its Supreme firefighting boot, made on an athletic shoe footbed, “meaning it’s very flexible, yet extremely protective,” according to Freese. He called it “the next evolution in footwear designed for the user’s foot first.”

Fire-Dex exhibited a leather firefighting boot that features a multi-density footbed with an engineered orthotic sock liner to reduce foot, leg and back fatigue.

Fire-Dex also showed FX Gear, which Allen Rom, a senior regional sales manager, described as ” ergonomically designed turnout gear that provides firefighters with a high level of comfort.” He said FX Gear is designed “to bend at those places where a firefighter crawls and climbs to give a better fit and more function.”

Lion Apparel exhibited several products, including its Tri-Certified pants that meet station, duty, and wildland firefighting and technical rescue standards.

Ravenswood (WV) VFD Pumper Rolls Over After Leaving Slick Roadway

The three firefighters in the wreck were sent to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

Two Spokane (WA) Fire Apparatus Slide Down Icy Hill; Crash Into House, Cars

A Spokane ladder truck and pumper slid down the same icy hill. The ladder truck hit a house and the pumper hit two parked cars.