TECGEN Gear Donated to Washington State Firefighters

July 30, 2014
In response to the recent massive wildfire outbreak in Washington and Oregon States, INVISTA has donated five sets of TECGEN® protective gear to help firefighters with wildfire suppression efforts.

In response to the recent massive wildfire outbreak in Washington and Oregon States, INVISTA has donated five sets of TECGEN protective gear to help firefighters with wildfire suppression efforts.

The gear was donated and delivered to Douglas County Fire District #5 in Washington State. Douglas County is located near the geographic center of Washington, where firefighters are working to contain wildfire blazes.

“Wildfires have charred hundreds of square miles in Washington State,” said Todd Herring, director of TECGEN protective apparel. “It is a serious situation. To make things even worse, firefighters have been dealing with scorching heat, dry weather and triple digit temperatures. We hope our cool, lightweight gear will benefit firefighters on the front line fighting these fires who are facing heat exhaustion and dehydration.”

TECGEN protective garments offer firefighters dual-certified protection for wildland and technical rescue operations. Instead of wearing heavy bunker gear on every call, TECGEN garments offer firefighters a cool, lightweight, single-layer alternative for many uses.

“Traditional bunker gear that firefighters wear to fight structure fires is heavy and hot,” says Herring. “Nearly 80 percent of the calls firefighters respond to are not structure fires, which is where our product fits in. TECGEN gear is ideal for firefighters to wear when they are responding to auto accident scenes, fighting brush and wildfires, answering good will calls, performing disaster relief duties and other situations.”

TECGEN garments are UL certified to exceed NFPA 1951 (Technical Rescue) and NFPA 1977 (Wildland Firefighting). More than 300,000 acres have burned near Douglas County, Washington in slightly more than a week.

“When Todd from the TECGEN (brand) team contacted me and asked if I knew of a department in need of gear to aid in their firefighting efforts, I immediately thought of Douglas County Fire District #5 in Mansfield, Washington,” said Ron Roy, Division Chief, Douglas County Fire District #2. “This is a small, all volunteer department in a rural farming community who always responds when called upon to provide suppression efforts. I knew that they would be very appreciative of the opportunity to receive new, upgraded gear. When the new, much needed TECGEN gear was delivered, they were very thankful and immediately commented on the high quality.”

About TECGEN

Brand The TECGEN brand is a registered trademark of INVISTA, one of the world’s largest integrated polymer, intermediates and fibers businesses. INVISTA’s patented TECGEN fiber was developed with next-generation flame resistance technology for protective clothing. The fiber is used in two primary garment lines, one designed for use by wildland and technical rescue firefighter applications and the other for manufacturing, transportation, mining, oil and gas and energy utility operations.

TECGEN garments for firefighters are UL certified to exceed NFPA 1951 (Technical Rescue) and NFPA 1977 (Wildland Firefighting). TECGEN gear is used for a variety of firefighting responses including extrication; search and rescue; MVA; wildland; grass and brush fires; confined space; trench rescue; high/low angle rescue and good will calls.

It is also suitable for support personnel and junior firefighting/explorer programs.

To learn more about INVISTA’s TECGEN brand and products, please visit www.tecgen.com.

About INVISTA

INVISTA is one of the world’s largest integrated producers of polymers and fibers, primarily for nylon, spandex and polyester applications, a business presence in over 20 countries, INVISTA’s global businesses deliver exceptional value for their customers through technology innovations, market insights and a powerful portfolio of global trademarks including: ADI-PURE, ANTRON, AVORA, C12, COMFOREL, COOLMAX, CORDURA, CORFREE, DACRON, DBE, DYTEK, FRESHFX, LYCRA, PERFORMA, POLARGUARD, POLYSHIELD, POLYCLEAR, SOLARMAX, STAINMASTER, SUPPLEX, SUPRIVA, TACTEL, TACTESSE, TERATE, TERATHANE and THERMOLITE.

More information on INVISTA can be found at www.INVISTA.com .

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