| Bristol Uniforms have been awarded London Fire Brigade's PPE contract |
Following careful consideration of the available options, London Fire Brigade, the UK's largest fire and rescue service, has announced its decision to award the contract to supply its 6,000 firefighters with head-to-toe PPE to the UK's leading firefighter clothing manufacturer and service provider, Bristol Uniforms.
In making its choice of supplier, London Fire Brigade, one of the largest firefighting organisations in the world, has taken the opportunity to select firefighter protective clothing based on Bristol's class leading Ergotech Action™ design and incorporating the latest, technically advanced fabrics.
The two piece ensemble incorporates a Nomex Ti-Technology™ outer layer combined with a Goretex Crosstech Airlock™ moisture and providing protection against blood borne pathogens. The selected PPE exceeds all the European Standard performance requirements. The head-to-toe contract also includes boots, gloves, flash hoods and helmets.
Full service under the contract, which will run for 8 years, begins in April 2010 when Bristol's new PPE will be introduced simultaneously to firefighters across all 112 of the metropolitan capital's fire stations. In addition, the lease supply contract will be supported by a lifetime managed care service under which Bristol will regularly collect, inspect, repair and wash all the clothing and record and monitor equipment condition through a computerised tracking system which identifies each item of clothing to its wearer and their location.
Commenting on the decision to award the contract to Bristol Uniforms, London's Commissioner Ron Dobson said "The safety of our firefighters is of paramount importance and so I am delighted that we have been able to award a contract to Bristol Uniforms Ltd, who will deliver Personal Protective Equipment to the exacting standards required by the London Fire Brigade."
Roger Startin, Bristol's joint Managing Director added: "The award of this important contract is a
major milestone for the company and, I believe, reflects the hard work and investment we have put into the technical advancements we have made in firefighter PPE over the last 5 years. It is due reward for all our staff from our research and product developments teams through to our manufacturing, IT and sales staff who have brought the very real benefits of working in international markets to bear on competing successfully for this prestigious contract.
We very much look forward to developing a close working partnership with London Fire Brigade over the 8 years of this supply contract so as to ensure the people of London are served by one of the best clothed and protected firefighting forces in the world."
Ian Mitchell, Bristol's joint managing director was able to reassure the company's 70 overseas distributors that their access to the level of service they expect and receive would not be compromised when he said: "The growth of our global business in recent years has resulted in a significant expansion in our production capabilities which has included new computer controlled fabric cutting facilities and expanded assembly capabilities. These will stand us in good stead in being able to manufacture over the coming months the quantity of firefighter PPE required without impacting adversely on our ability to respond effectively to an expected increase of business from export markets.
The ability to satisfy LFB through our resilience plan is good news for London Fire Brigade, other UK fire services and our many customers in the 110 countries around the world which rely on Bristol PPE to protect their municipal and industrial firefighters."