Tech Rescue Protective Gear

[TFD9427]

I am trying to find out what type of protective clothing would be better for USAR type operations. I know most teams use BDU's for their uniforms. My question is are jumpsuits or USAR gear like Morningpride or Lion better? We are trying to put something together for a budget presentation and would like to know who uses what and what is good/bad about either option.

[ccl442]

Another company that you might want to look at is Richochet. We have their USAR jumpsuits in flamestop Nomex. We use them for confined space and trench. So far so good.

[jmatthe2]

A better solution would be to contact the manufacturers and ask them to come an do the dog-and-pony show for you. Depending on the number of sets you are looking to buy, any reputable company will provide you with a field test set. Don't be afraid to ask, because they may not offer. This allows you to put the gear to the test.

On another note. If you are looking to use grant money to pay for your protective clothing be advised that you cannot purchase BDU's and T-shirts with the money. My deptartment has run into this issue.

[N2DFire]

I think you would be best served by doing a good old "Needs Assessment".
Here are just a couple of things to consider:

* Identify what levels & types of hazards are you likely to encounter (Flash Fire vs extended duration fire vs No fire, Chemicals, sharp objects, etc.) Be very clear on the difference between "Possible" and "Probable" here.
ex - is it possible that you may be exposed to radiation - sure anything is possible. Is it probable?? Can't say - maybe you work close to a Uranium Enrichment Plant and it's very probable.

* Identify the level of protection you want based on the amount of risk you are willing to take.
If you're O.K. with walking around in cotton BDU's and T-Shirt in an environment with high probability of flash fire - that's o.k. If you'd rather have a larger degree of protection then look into FR Cotton or Nomex clothing, next step up is the USAR gear you mentioned.
- also -
Factor in the need for increased movement vs amount of protection required. Perhaps you're in a confined space environment that the USAR gear is too bulky / restrictive. It's your call if those issues outweigh the needed protection. Can you do the job faster/safer with a lesser degree of protection (which reduces your time in the IDLH environment) and is that risk worth the possible benefits ?

* How many Tech. Rescue incidents do you really have and of those how many are in a high risk environment that would require USAR type gear?
- also -
What other types of PPE do you already have? It the cost of buying special USAR gear worth it for the number of times you may need to use it if you already have Structural TOG ?


I feel like I've left you with more questions than answers and for that I apologize. Bottom line - anyone can tell you what they use & what's out there - but only you can decide what you need.

You get high marks for starting the research process, but there's still a lot of homework left to do. I wish you the best with your project.


As a side note - Globe also has a line of USAR gear you should look at (and no I don't work for Globe ;) )

[ADSNWFLD]

We use jumpsuits and BDU's from Propper. Most retailers both internet and box supply propper. If you don't need something fancy like nomex they are the way to go.
Even if you do want nomex I'd go with a flightsuit (usually around $180) vs 290 or more.
Once you wear the BUD's I can't imagine you wanting to return to a jumpsuit. At our State Validation last year we had the BDU's and when you left the hot zone off came the BDU shirt, now we were much cooler and still identifiable in our tee shirts. The jumpsuit is a pain to unzip then tie around you.