New fire gear decided

Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:23 am

New operational fire kit is on the way following agreement with Bristol Uniforms to provide the next generation of personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Brigade.

The new PPE is blue in colour and will be worn by operational staff when responding to incidents. The current kit came into service in 1999 and work started last year to find a replacement that would serve the Brigade well into the next decade.

The kit will be manufactured during 2009 and will enter operational service early in 2010.

The contract with Bristol Uniforms will supply new fire tunics, overtrousers, helmets, fire hoods, gloves and boots. It was selected from a number of potential kits and followed a series of rigorous testing and evaluation, including trials by Brigade operational staff. Every element of the new kit has been designed to integrate with each other and the new kit is fully compatible with other equipment used at incidents such as breathing apparatus sets and chemical protection suits.