By Andrea Glennon
The Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard
GLOUCESTERSHIRE, England — Firefighters from Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service will be wearing new and improved protective clothing from next week.
Firefighters will switch to new PBI gold firefighting kit from their current blue kit as of 6pm today.
The new protective clothing offers higher protection for firefighters, it weighs less and fits better, which will improve their mobility when dealing with incidents.
The current contract having ended, Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service looked at many suppliers, and decided that the nationally negotiated contract with Bristol Uniforms offered the best kit and the best value for money.
The contract change will save money and offer increased resilience.
The state-of-the-art protective clothing is made with PBI flame resistant fibres and has been designed to reduce internal body heat build-up.
The fabric does not shrink, become brittle, or break open under extreme heat and flame exposure.
It also supplies a greater range of uniform, which is important to Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service as it is among the top Services nationally for employing female firefighters.
Assistant chief fire officer, Geoff Sallis, said: “This contract offers improved protection for firefighters, good value for money and an update every seven years, meaning firefighters will always have the latest and safest kit to wear.
“It’s more comfortable and lightweight, so I’m sure it will make a difference to firefighters when dealing with incidents and will help us in our efforts to keep the people of Gloucestershire safe.”
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