Following the successful delivery of more than 5,000 sets of high-quality structural firefighting PPE from specialist manufacturer MSA Bristol and its Australian distributor Pac Fire, Fire & Rescue New South Wales (FRNSW) continue with their roll out and expect to have an additional 5,000 sets of XFlex PPE delivered by June this year. The expectation is that FRNSW will compete the rollout to all of its 6,500 firefighters by December 2021.

FRNSW is one of the world’s largest urban fire and rescue services and the busiest in Australia with more than 6,500 firefighters spread across 335 stations, attending around 120,000 call outs per year.

An extensive evaluation and wearer trial in 2019 led to FRNSW selecting MSA Bristol’s popular XFlex PPE ensemble for its PPE upgrade. MSA Bristol is a leading designer and manufacturer of protective clothing and equipment for emergency services across the globe, formed by the recent acquisition of Bristol Uniforms by MSA Safety.

Its XFlex PPE range has been ergonomically designed with sports styling and lightweight fabrics, providing advanced comfort and protection. The unique fabric combination consists of Safety Components Nomex® 360™, combined with a GORE® PARALLON™ liner system which provides unparalleled levels of breathability while preventing drops in thermal protection.  

On taking delivery of the new kit, FRNSW Commissioner, Paul Baxter commented: “These new uniforms are heavy-duty but lightweight, allowing for enhanced manoeuvrability and coverage, and will be supplied in a wider range of male and female sizes, so all firefighters will have better fitting garments.  They also feature a customized moisture barrier, which helps prevent steam burns and keeps firefighters dry while on the job.”

Pac Fire is one of Australasia’s leading suppliers of PPE to the fire and emergency industry. Its specialised roll-out of the XFlex PPE ensembles to FRNSW has included the allocation of each item to a specific firefighter. Service information, such as garment specifics, date of issue and firefighter information is assigned to a unique UHF-RFID chip fitted within the item. This process allows garments to interact with inventory management and laundry systems, tracking physical location and the condition of the item throughout its service life.

Paul Clark from Pac Fire Australia comments: “The XFlex design with its distinctive sports styling has proved particularly popular with the firefighters, offering greater flexibility and reduced resistance when carrying out physical tasks, as well as providing optimum protection thanks to the advanced fabric technology.”

Roger Startin, Joint Managing Director at MSA Bristol, added: “The roll-out of the first order went very smoothly, despite the challenges of the global pandemic, and all garments were delivered to schedule.  It’s great to see the NSW firefighters in action in their new PPE, and we’re delighted to be following this up by providing a further 4,500 sets this year.”