in active use at Vienna Airport Fire Brigade

For the past 15 years, the Fire and Rescue Training Academy at Vienna Airport has been offering training programmes to which its own and external firefighters are admitted. During the training sessions the instructors are responsible for the safety of the participants – especially in and around the special demonstration unit that can replicate flameover incidents and other forms of fire behaviour. The courses also focus on firefighting incidents involving pressurised liquids such as kerosene, and searching for and rescuing people in situations in which it is almost impossible to see anything.

Even though the safety standards at airports are so highly developed that very few incidents involving serious fires occur, airport fire brigades need to be prepared for every eventuality. For this precise reason, the training and development courses cover a wide range of incidents and extreme situations. Needless to say, the right choice of protective clothing is of crucial importance - whether in training or emergency situations.

For well over a year, the Vienna Airport Fire Service has been equipping its instructors with the GORE® PARALLON® fabric technology. By integrating two membranes into the system, this new breed of clothing is the first of its kind to offer such constantly high levels of heat and flame protection - both when exposed to water from the outside and when the wearer produces a lot of sweat inside the garment. Yet, these protective garments still retain the breathability of earlier systems while simultaneously weighing less than conventional fire turnout gear. This means that wear comfort is enhanced, thus improving the firefighters' ability to perform their tasks at their best, whether they are involved in firefighting exercises or responding to a real emergency. The Parallon System particularly shows its strength when fire ground conditions become critical due to a combination of adverse circumstances.