Flashfire

Protective personal clothing is a critical tool in a firefighter’s arsenal. Proper care and maintenance of your PPE doesn’t just extend the life of your gear; it’s also key to your safety. Yet too often we let maintenance be an afterthought.

Mike Wisko, safety/training division chief for the Galveston Fire Department in Texas sums it up perfectly:

“…it isn’t uncommon to see helmets being worn today that have so much soot baked into them, it isn’t possible to tell their original colors. Coats and pants are no different, and the mentality we’ve all shared at some point is that the dirtier the PPE, the better the firefighter.”

Boy, he’s right, isn’t he? Good point, Mike.

When we talk to fire chiefs about TECGEN XTREME® garments, one topic that always comes up is extending the life of your turnout gear. Proper care of PPE doesn’t have to be hard. To get started, check out these tips from NIOSH’s Fire Fighter Fatality and Investigation and Prevention Program.

What do you think? Is dirty gear still a sign of a true firefighter? How do you feel about retiring old gear? Post a comment and tell us how you feel.

Are you headed to FDIC in Indy? Stop by and visit TECGEN XTREME®! We’ll be joining the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) at their booth to promote our new firefighter health and safety partnership.

Why are firefighter safety and firefighter health so important to us? Consider these stats:

• More than 40% of on-duty firefighter deaths are due to sudden cardiac deaths, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
• Sudden cardiac death claims more firefighter lives during on-duty activities than any other cause of death.
• Only 16.8% of fire departments have standard operating procedures for cardiovascular disease screenings (NIOSH)
• More than 10% of fire departments don’t require training on the proper use of personal protective equipment. (NIOSH)

We created TECGEN XTREME® non-structural turnout gear as a protective apparel solution to keep firefighters safe and comfortable during response. TECGEN XTREME® garments are a cooler, more comfortable alternative to hot, bulky bunker gear.

If you’re headed to Indianapolis, come find us. In the meantime, get pumped up with this video for FDIC 2010.

FDIC 2010 is just around the corner (TECGEN XTREME® will be there…will you?), and this year’s event promises to be a huge success.

Check out what Folio Magazine had to say about the event:

“PennWell’s 88-year-old Fire Department Instructor’s Conference (FDIC) has proven relatively recession-resistant, drawing 27,000 attendees and selling out 800 exhibit booths at the Indianapolis Convention Center.”

Not bad, eh?

If you’re headed to Indianapolis, be sure to stop by and visit us. TECGENtodd will be there answering questions about personal protective apparel and of course demoing our non-structural turnout gear.