The Boston Herald published a story two days ago about concerns raised over the type of turnout gear worn by Boston firefighters.
The story said that the gear purchased by the city -- manufactured by Denmark-based company Viking -- doesn't met NFPA standards.
Two Boston firefighters perished battling a restaurant blaze on Aug. 28, and while the story did not directly attribute the gear to the deaths, it talked about concerns of safety relating to the incident.
Here is the response to the story sent by Viking to Firehouse.com:
Viking Life-Saving Equipment extends its deepest condolences to the families, co-workers and friends of Boston firefighters Paul Cahill and Warren Payne, who lost their lives in the line of duty.
Media reports involving this unfortunate event have been rife with speculation, which is of course taxing to families and colleagues. Very few facts about the actual cause of death and equipment used have yet to be confirmed.
VIKING Life-Saving Equipment regrets that the quality of the fire suits have been brought into question. We are not interested in fueling more speculation, however we feel it is necessary to clarify many of the factual inaccuracies in the Boston Herald's September 12 article.
Over the last 10 years fire departments have recognized that reducing the risk of injury or death by heat stress is a major issue for firefighters. Heavy, bulky suits have unfortunately contributed to the problem. Many professional fire departments have been looking to marry superior thermal protection with a lightweight suit that provides increased THL (Thermal Heat Loss) properties.
VIKING has provided two versions of fire suits to the Boston Fire Department: the original EN469 version supplied three years ago and the new dual certified EN469/NFPA version supplied from this year. Both of these suits exceeded the NFPA requirements at the time (NFPA 2000 and NFPA 2007) for thermal protection while offering several other advantages for reducing the risk of heat stress.
Important industry standards, such as a product's TPP (Thermal Protective Performance) rating and its THL (Total Heat Loss) rating, are key to product performance. The challenge is to provide a balance that offers good thermal protection while reducing the risk of heat stress-related injuries. The VIKING fire suits chosen by the Boston Fire Department in 2002 have EN469 approval with TPP ratings of 39, which are higher than the US national NFPA standard of 35.
Fire suits with extremely high TPP ratings are typically bulkier and heavier and increase the risk for stress-related injuries and death, including heart attacks. The U.S. Fire Administration's 2006 report of firefighter fatalities in the U.S. concluded that of the 106 deaths recorded that year, 50 were the result of heart attack, while 8 were caused by burns. The agency's provisional report for 2007 so far records 86 firefighter deaths, with 35 attributed to heart attack and 5 to burns.
Fire departments consider numerous safety and performance variables when selecting the best gear for their hardworking firefighters. In statements from the Boston Fire Department, extensive studies of multiple suppliers were conducted by their Joint Safety Committee, which included high-ranking officers and Union-appointed representatives. Six months of field testing by multiple fire stations followed, after which the decision to purchase Viking gear was made.
"The Boston Fire Department viewed the purchase of Viking fire suits as a success story," said Fire Commissioner Roderick Frasier. "After reviewing multiple suits, we chose Viking. The suit exceeds NFPA standards and we've had good feedback from people in the field."
VIKING Life-Saving Equipment is a global market leader in personal protective equipment. We produce high-quality fire suits with superior overall protection. Our concern for firefighter safety has led to constant improvements in gear that have now become industry standards, such as raglan sleeves. This year, we introduced the prototype of the world's first turnout gear with built-in Thermal Sensor Technology, which alerts the user to dangerous temperatures both inside and outside the suit.
We remain committed to meeting the needs of firefighters, and to preventing firefighter injury and death by producing safe, high-quality and affordable equipment offering a supreme overall protection.
Al Osle
VIKING Life-Saving Equipment
President of Americas
