RIVERSIDE, CA—Luxfer Gas Cylinders, a business unit of Luxfer Holdings PLC (NYSE:LXFR) and the world’s largest manufacturer of high-pressure composite and aluminum cylinders, has launched Luxfer ECLIPSE™, its new carbon composite cylinders for firefighter self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). The launch coincides with FDIC International 2018. ECLIPSE is an acronym for Extra-lightweight Cylinders by Luxfer for Industry Professionals in SCBA Environments™.

The lightest-weight SCBA cylinder now on the market, Luxfer ECLIPSE is up to 20 percent lighter than comparable aluminum-lined (Type 3) composite cylinders and up to three percent lighter than plastic-lined (Type 4) cylinders used primarily in Europe. The weight savings does not sacrifice strength, durability or safety while remaining compliant with all industry standards.

Luxfer ECLIPSE is designed and manufactured using advanced engineering techniques. With a lightweight liner made of Luxfer’s proprietary L6X® aluminum alloy and an exclusive 100 percent high-strength, aerospace-grade carbon fiber overwrap, a significant weight reduction is achieved. Using Luxfer ECLIPSE, firefighters, emergency-response personnel and SCBA industry professionals will see multiple benefits including enhanced performance, improved ergonomics and minimized weight-related health risks.

Luxfer ECLIPSE cylinders will come in a standard 4,500-psi (300 bar) version and a higher-pressure 5,500-psi (379 bar) option, each with a variety of air capacities and duration times. Luxfer ECLIPSE cylinders will be available from major safety equipment companies.

Professor Denise Smith, Director of the Skidmore College (U.S.) First Responder Health and Safety Laboratory and a global expert on firefighter health comments, “With cardiac events currently the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths, firefighters and SCBA manufacturers should embrace opportunities to decrease the cardiovascular strain associated with firefighting. Significantly decreasing the weight of the SCBA cylinder while retaining the same level of respiratory protection suggests that Luxfer ECLIPSE will become the new de facto standard in the SCBA industry.”

Luxfer Gas Cylinders President Andy Butcher adds, “By leveraging our decades of market and technology leadership, we are excited to provide this new, premium product that eclipses the performance of current products and represents the next evolution in weight reduction. Luxfer ECLIPSE has been made possible by Luxfer’s technology leadership in SCBA cylinder innovation as well as our market leadership as the most trusted SCBA cylinder manufacturer in the world.”

Mark Trudgeon, Luxfer vice president of technology and innovation says, “Luxfer has a long history of SCBA cylinder development over the past 30 years from our first LCX® carbon composite cylinders to our recently introduced LCX non-limited life (NLL) cylinders in Europe. Luxfer ECLIPSE expands our SCBA offering and represents the next generation of lighter-weight, high-performance SCBA composite cylinder designs for the SCBA industry today and for the years to come.”

Luxfer’s FDIC Inteternational booth is 2207.

For more information, visit www.luxfercylinders.com.

By Derek Rosenfeld

The afternoon portion of FDIC International 2018's pre-conference workshops opened its doors to students with one of the most timely, and important of all fire service topics: post-traumatic stress disorder.

Clinically-trained therapist Jada Hudson of Hudson Clinical Counseling presented this informative and vitally important workshop session on the impact that fire service leadership has on firefighters before, during, and after potentially traumatic events. The information presented here is based on a 2011 study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the U.S. Department of Defense.

"I believe that I'm drawn to helping this population as a counselor because of my family background. My relentless pursuit of obtaining knowledge in this topic is partly due to being a daughter, a sister, a cousin and a niece of a first responder," Hudson said.

"I know first hand the unique issues that they face as well as their family members. This is the first time I'm teaching this particular subject in depth. I have touched on it for years in the many presentations I have done throughout country. However, I have decided that this topic could deserve more than a brief mention and through research and I came up with a great deal of information."

In the following segment, Hudson talks about the five qualifiers for post-traumatic stress disorder, most especially chronic stress, and how the chemicals in the body react to traumatic situations:

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"PTSD rates are definitely higher in the fire service compared to the general population. I think firefighters owe it to themselves to do everything possible to protect themselves both physically and emotionally."

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In this segment, Hudson talks about how good leaders often share the same traits as a good parent (a paternalistic leadership model), and gets assistance from Bolingbrook (IL) Fire Department Lieutenant Matt Olson, who explains the good intentions that people have for wanting to be firefighters:

Hudson said that the most important aspect of this subject was "to show, scientifically with evidence, that the relationships that you make with your subordinates can either exacerbate or reduce rates of PTSD. This information will hopefully make leaders take a look at another very important aspect of leadership and emphasize that good relationships are not just nice but imperative.

In this segment, Hudson talks about the general responses children have to authoritarian parents and how a similarly authoritarian leader can receive similar responses from his subordinates:

Hudson said that if students took away one piece of information from the class, it would be that students should examine they became leaders. "Was it a positional decision? A good leader must be pate