Wildland fires are an increasing threat in the United Kingdom. They’re high risk, difficult to manage, and create a set of very particular circumstances for firefighters, who are battling the blaze. And with wildland call-outs measured in days, rather than hours, fire services need a kit that’s as tough as the terrain that they’re working on.
Defender wildland firefighting suit
FlamePro, a British manufacturing specialist of life-saving garments for firefighters, has unveiled a new wildland firefighting suit, challenging the industry by setting a new benchmark for PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).
The ‘Defender’ wildland suit features military-grade FR plastic hardware. It passes a heat resistance of 260 °C, even after 40 wash and dry cycles, meeting the high demands of the latest wildland standard.
Superior comfort and with glow-in-the-dark tape
The suit encompasses strategic paneling, which is shaped to offer easy movement for wearers
Comfort and ergonomics are at the forefront of the design. The suit encompasses strategic paneling, which is shaped to offer easy movement for wearers. The precise location of the paneling also improves the breathability of the suit. This provides the much-needed airflow, so as to reduce the risk of heat stress, which the extreme conditions of wildland firefighting pose.
The Defender suit also features photo-luminescent, glow-in-the-dark tape for operational effectiveness. These strips aid the location of colleagues in near, or even total, darkness. They’re visible even when you can’t see your hand in front of your face.
featuring shoulder reinforcement and 3D padding
Lugging heavy equipment into remote areas of land is part and parcel of wildland firefighting. Therefore, the Defender suit is equipped with shoulder reinforcement and 3D padding over the main fabric, providing added comfort for firefighters wearing a bulky backpack.
The suit also includes ergonomically shaped knee panels, with reinforced fabric, to protect firefighters against thorns, gorse, and other annoying hazards that lurk in the undergrowth.
Enhanced Versatility
Available in red or yellow, the new Defender suit will also fit any body type, available in an industry-renowned range of 96 sizes and fits. FlamePro’s Technical Sales Manager, Reece Buchner, said “By their nature, wildland fires create a set of very particular circumstances. The remote location, the intense heat and the long duration of these emergencies, all combine to create extreme and high-risk incidents. This means that firefighters need unique protection.”
Reece Buchner adds, “The only PPE that will suffice is that, which has been designed specially to protect against every one of the risks that wildland firefighting poses. Our Defender suit does just this. We’re not interested in just meeting standards, we aim to be setting them. Our military-grade materials, teamed with ergonomic design, offer the ultimate combination of protection and comfort.”