Firefighting boots: Adaptive footwear for modern fire challenges
Iain Hoey
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HAIX explores the shift from traditional firefighting boots to advanced designs that meet the demands of both urban and wildfire scenarios in England
England isn’t typically known for its hot and dry summers unlike other parts of the world; however, the country experiences an average of 30,000 wildfires annually, which is three times the number in Greece and four times that of Canada.
Although Canadian and Greek wildfires typically burn more hectares and cause greater devastation, the persistent and growing problem of wildfires in England is undeniable.
Trends over the past decade show fluctuations, but the overall increase in wildfire incidents highlights that it is now crucial that firefighters are equipped with the appropriate wildfire footwear to enable day-to-day use as well as fight wildfires when they arise.
The growing wildfire problem
The key trend of concern to Fire and Rescue Services is the increase in both size and intensity of wildfires, this is directly linked to more typical dry air ‘wildfire weather’.
These extreme wildfire weather events are increasing in frequency and set to get worse due to climate change, which is something already showing in Europe over the last few decades.
Over the past 12 years, around 79,000 hectares of land has been burnt by wildfires in England and fire and rescue services have been increasingly burdened by wildfires.
From 2009-10 to 2020-21, there were over 360,000 wildfire incidents, burning more than 79,000 hectares of land and consuming nearly 540,000 hours of firefighting time.
Peak years such as 2011-12, had around 47,000 incidents, and the most devastating year, 2018-19, which saw over 26,000 hectares burnt, illustrates the significant impact wildfires are having.
Changing times call for changing footwear
Traditionally, firefighters have relied on a combination of wellington boots and structural boots, however, neither of these are ideal for combating wildfires.
Structural boots, designed for urban firefighting, offer excellent protection against heat and sharp objects but are often too heavy and cumbersome for the varied terrains and response times encountered during wildfires.
Wellington boots, while lighter, do not provide the necessary protection or support for prolonged and arduous wildfire conditions.
The current issued footwear fails to meet the demands of wildfire situations where firefighters cover long distances and endure extended hours.
This leads to severe discomfort, blisters, and more painful outcomes like the loss of toenails, compromising the effectiveness and safety of firefighters during life-saving wildfire operations.
Firefighters need to be issued footwear that is comfortable for both tasks, structural firefighting for short duration use and long-use wildfire incidents.
There are boots on the market that do both.
Keeping ahead of the problem
Specialist wildfire designed PPE is becoming a necessity to protect the health of firefighters.
The traditional approach to firefighting footwear is no longer sufficient and firefighters should now be equipped with structural boots as well as more lightweight boots that provide added comfort and protection for extended use, or ideally a boot that does both.
With climate change creating more unpredictable and extreme wildfire conditions, the versatility of the footwear and other equipment worn by firefighters is key.
As new material develops, firefighting boots will become lighter and more flexible without sacrificing protection and comfort, making them ideal for wildfire use.
The challenge with structural boots is that they’re designed to be worn for shorter periods of time, meaning in wildfire situations they become increasingly uncomfortable.
However, A boot such as the HAIX Fire Eagle 2.0 is a fully certified structural fire boot that works perfectly as a wildfire boot and technical rescue boot as it’s flexible and lighter than other options on the market while still providing the protection of a structural boot.
This makes the boot more forgiving on the feet for longer duration use and limits the risk of blistering and other injuries.
Feedback and continuous innovation
HAIX works closely with Fire and Rescue Services internationally, exhibiting at the UK Wildfire conference, the National Fire Chiefs Council PPE conference, and key trade shows such as the Emergency Services Show in the UK and Interschutz in Germany.
This enables HAIX experts to understand the requirements and challenges faced by the industry, allowing the company to incorporate these learnings into its boot designs.
HAIX is in constant communication with firefighters on the changing requirements in the UK, as well as using the knowledge gained from across the world where wildfires have been more prevalent over recent years to ensure boots meet and address firefighter needs.
To specifically consider the risk of wildfires, HAIX works closely with wildfire specialists in the UK who wear trial a range of products.
One of those wildfire experts is Andy Elliott, Director of Wildfire Training and Consultancy Ltd.
Who has been an operational firefighter for more than 40 years. Andy has worked on prescribed fires and wildfires on four continents.
Andy commented: “I have worn many different makes of fire boot over the years.
“All provide protection from the outside, but very few protect your feet on the inside; the bit that keeps you going all day.
“I have recently moved to HAIX boots for both wildfire and daily wear.
“I have used the Fire Eagle, Special Fighter Pro and the Missoula boot for wildfires and the Black Eagle Safety 50 high and mid safety boots for daily wear.
“Since moving to HAIX, I have not suffered from sore feet, blisters or lost any toenails.
“I still walk as far as I ever did, I can now do it in comfort in all weathers and conditions.
“HAIX boots are strong enough to do the job excellently but light enough to keep the effort down and comfort levels very high.
“I can’t recommend them highly enough and I don’t see me switching to another brand anytime soon”.
