Posted: Tuesday 24 March 2020, 12:07
From the 25 March you may notice a change in fire kit worn by Derbyshire’s Firefighters as they switch to new technologically advanced, gold coloured personal protective equipment (PPE).
With Firefighter safety a priority, Firefighters will change the grey and red kit they have been wearing for the past 10 years and begin wearing gold coloured tunics (jackets) and leggings (trousers) which provide many enhanced safety features.
A joint trial, carried out with Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service and in line with the National Procurement Framework which delivers greater efficiency savings, saw Firefighters testing a range of available kit before the decision was taken to procure the new gold coloured kit.
Area Manager Rob Taylor, said: “The new kit is much more than just a change in colour and appearance, it’s about the safety and wellbeing of our crews.
“A Firefighters personal protective equipment is vital in providing protection at the wide range of incidents that they attend. The lightweight fabric provides enhanced protection from radiated heat, as well as increased mobility. A change from the dark grey colour that our communities are used to seeing our crews wearing, means that any contaminants that come into contact with their kit can be quickly identified and cleaned.
“The new PPE is also available in a wide range of sizes to accommodate both our male and female Firefighters, something that is essential in ensuring that the built in safety features provide the right level of protection in the right area of a Firefighters body and of course, it also means that the new kit is comfortable to wear as Firefighters can often be at incidents for lengthy periods of time.”
The new PPE has been purchased through suppliers Bristol Uniforms. The total care arrangement includes cleaning, maintenance and repair of the kit over the life of the contract.
All Derbyshire Firefighters carry identification cards (ID) bearing a contact number. If anyone is ever concerned about the identity of a Derbyshire Firefighter, please ask to see their ID card and contact the number shown.
Members of the Service procurement team who took delivery of 66 pallets of kit over the last few months, plus a Firefighter wearing the new gold kit.