A man has been critically injured in a fire at a Tacoma apartment Thursday. The fire broke out around 6:30 a.m. in an 11th floor unit at the Orion Apartments on St. Helens Avenue, according to Joe Meinecke with Tacoma Fire. Firefighters arrived to find the apartment unit full of smoke, but credit a sprinkler system from keeping the fire from spreading to adjacent units and helping firefighters douse the flames.
- PUB DATE: 5/25/2017 7:24:35 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000

Nomex® Nano Flex technology is the big news in VIKING’s new, triple-layered, yet super lightweight range of NFPA-compliant hoods that protect the head and neck area from heat and potentially dangerous particles.

There’s a clear gap between the protection offered by the FR (flame-resistant) knit hoods used today by many firefighters and the capabilities of modern high-tech fabrics. To narrow that gap VIKING Life- Saving Equipment has announced it is releasing a triple-layered, lightweight range of new firefighting hoods that make the most of revolutionary DuPont™ Nomex® Nano Flex material.

Combining protection and comfort

The new VIKING NFPA-compliant hoods are constructed with a paper-thin layer of DuPont™ Nomex® Nano-Flex between layers of comfortable viscose. On the one hand, DuPont’s innovative material acts as a barrier that filters out particles over 100 times smaller than the human eye can see – while simultaneously providing high breathability for maximum comfort. At the same time, the hoods provide a 25-percent improvement in thermal protection performance (TPP) compared with conventional FR knit materials. This means greater protection of the facial and neck region, where a hood is usually the single line of defense. At the same time the hood is designed to fit comfortably under the helmet.

“Using Nomex® Nano Flex in our firefighter hood composite structure provides improved particle barrier protection, especially around the neckline and upper jaw – areas that easily absorb chemicals,” says Lars Kersting, Global Fire Sales Director. “And the material’s incredibly lightweight keeps the hood comfortable despite the multi-layer design.”

Proven barrier performance

To test the hood’s particle-filtering performance, wear trials were conducted with hoods containing the Nomex® Nano Flex barrier sandwiched between the viscose layers on one half of the hood. After the wear trials, the hoods were turned inside out and inspected, and the numbers of particles penetrating the hood with then without the paper-thin Nomex® Nano Flex protective layer were compared. Results reflected up to 4 times improved particle barrier efficiency.

Nomex® Nano Flex is a specialty nonwoven textile made of submicron continuous fibers, providing a superior protective barrier. Moreover, heat and flame protection is inherent to the Nomex® fiber – meaning this capability can’t be washed away or worn out.

Founded in 1960, VIKING is a privately held market leader in maritime and fire safety with group headquarters in Denmark. The company provides essential firefighting and safety equipment for structural firefighting as well as marine and offshore applications.

More: www.VIKING-fire.com and www.VIKING-life.com

Several homes in Kent were evacuated Wednesday night after reports that a man had poured gasoline all over his house. It started as a call to Kent Police about possible person in crisis, at a home on 134th Place SE around 7:00 p.m. Firefighters and police discovered the floor of a home had been saturated with three to five gallons of gasoline by the occupant.
- PUB DATE: 5/25/2017 4:48:25 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000

When you’re in trouble and every second counts – will help reach you in time? In Spokane, the distance of just a few blocks can double the amount of minutes it takes for first responders to arrive. But Wednesday, there’s a new fire chief in town and he’s making response times one of his top priorities.
- PUB DATE: 5/25/2017 3:22:14 AM - SOURCE: KAYU-TV MyFox Spokane

Kittitas County will move the fire marshal position under Community Development Services starting June 1. The move comes after the county failed to find a replacement for the fire marshal position in 2016, Commissioner Laura Osiadacz said. The county also considered contracting out fire marshal services with Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue, but decided consolidation made more sense.
- PUB DATE: 5/25/2017 1:52:39 AM - SOURCE: Ellensburg Daily Record