The crew at Delta Fire and Emergency Services Fire Hall No. 3 followed an old tradition Thursday by pushing in by hand one of the department’s newest pieces of equipment, delta-optimist.com reported.

The North Delta crew were all smiles having received one of two new fire engines, at a cost of $1 million, purchased by the city, the report said. It has some of the latest features and green technology including an eco-idle that switches the vehicle to lithium power when parked and running for extended periods, according to the report.

The fire truck being replaced will go into the Delta Fire and Emergency Services reserve fleet of three, according to the report

By Alan M. Petrillo

The makers of structural personal protective equipment (PPE) continue to improve and evolve their turnout gear lines with the aim of providing the best protection for firefighters in gear that is ergonomic, lighter in weight without sacrificing safety, and as protective from carcinogens as possible.

Jeff Fackler, North American business development director of protective apparel for DuPont, says that with fires burning hotter and faster these days, five elements are driving the design of turnout gear to help reduce heat stress on firefighters. The first of these is ergonomic design and the use of stretch in fabrics, while the second is the incorporation of aramid filaments like DuPont™ Kevlar® in outer shells to provide a high level of strength, options to lower weight while keeping excellent flame protection, and DuPont™ Nomex® filament in thermal liner facecloths for improved durability and lubricity.

The third dimension of protection in outer shells is blending it with PBI, PBO, or other fibers with extremely high decomposition temperatures, which Fackler calls “thermally stable fabrics that maintain their integrity after exposure to flame environments and therefore have very good performance in extreme conditions such as our Nomex® Xtreme outer shells.”

The fourth element is improving the durability and strength of outer shell fabrics to sustain them through more frequent washings; DuPont Nomex included in outer shells has proven to provide superior wash durability and esthetics. The fifth dimension is using nonfluorinated finishes on the outer shells. He notes that DuPont Kevlar and DuPont Nomex can be incorporated into all those dimensions, as both ingredients are inherently flame resistant, with DuPont Kevlar optimized for strength and DuPont Nomex for flame-resistant textile applications like more comfort, mobility, and ergonomics.

Jian Xiang, DuPont’s global technology leader for protective apparel, notes that using DuPont Nomex Nano or Nomex NanoFlex in hoods and interfaces gives particulate and viral protective properties and still allows air and moisture to move in and out of the barrier.

Fackler points out that the thermal liner is where turnout gear gets at least 50% or more of the gear’s thermal protection. “The thermal liner facecloth needs to be flame resistant and durable and have high lubricity—that is, low friction so it slides over the body,” he says. “Spunlace Kevlar and Nomex are being used in a thermal liner. These typically have a facecloth with two layers of insulation: one of which is Spunlace and the second being Nomex Nano, which gives an [equivalent to] 30-point improvement in breathability (THL) and [equivalent to] 40% less bulk than a typical liner insulation with only Spunlace layers.”

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• Turnout Gear Manufacturers Make PPE Tailored for Women
• The Protection Behind Structural Firefighting Turnout Gear
• What’s Next for Structural Turnout Gear?