Leading British textile manufacturer Hainsworth is focusing on helping fire services combat heat stress – the biggest threat to firefighter safety.
The company is finding that its innovative fabrics are proving increasingly popular with firefighters operating in some of the world’s hottest countries.
Hainsworth has embarked on a global campaign to highlight the unique benefits of its range of TI-technologyTM outershell solutions for personal protective equipment.
The company believes that its combination of fibre, weaving and finishing technologies offer firefighters the ultimate in high performance fabrics.
Hainsworth will be exhibiting at a number of industry-leading events in the United States, Europe and Middle East during the coming 12 months. It recently attended the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council (AFAC) conference in Sydney, A+A in Dusseldorf, Germany, and will be showing at Intersec, Dubai, in January 2012.
Firefighters in the US, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Scandinavia and Central Europe already use Hainsworth® TITAN, as do a large number of fire brigades in the UK. But the 225-year-old Yorkshire-based company is reporting particularly strong interest among services in Australasia, the Middle East and United States.
Hainsworth® TITAN is a patented double cloth construction with Nomex® on the face to provide optimal UV stability, thermal protection, abrasion resistance and colour fastness, and Kevlar® on the back to provide strength and thermal integrity. The kits offer exceptional heat stress management capabilities as well as comfort, wear life and durability, heat and flame protection and chemical resistance.
Charlotte Brandt, Sales Manager for Hainsworth Protective Fabrics, said: “The Hainsworth team is continually innovating and developing the best possible protective fabrics for today’s firefighters.
“We place a huge amount of emphasis on providing fire services with fabric solutions which combat heat stress – the biggest cause of firefighter injury and death worldwide – minimise the impact of UV degradation and ensure maximum durability and breathability.
“Today’s kit has to perform many duties to protect the modern firefighter, which are often at odds with each other. It must stop water and heat from outside the garment getting through to the wearer while allowing water (sweat in the form of moisture vapour) and heat from the wearer to dissipate to the outside. It must be robust enough to offer high levels of thermal and mechanical protection while also being light and breathable enough to minimise heat stress.”
In addition to Hainsworth® TITAN, the company provides other options tailored to suit specific requirements of firefighters. Hainsworth® METIS provides a lightweight option for low risk scenarios, while Hainsworth® ATLAS is a heavyweight double cloth offering the highest level of thermal protection in the range.