KEY BENEFITS
Explore the high-level protective benefits of this technology application.
The highly breathable fabric enables perspiration to escape, helping to better maintain core body temperature.
Our protective barriers have been tested by more wash cycles than required by the industry standard, without leaking, tearing, or deterioration in protection.
Garments are engineered for protection against pathogens found in blood and body fluids.
As proven in our Pyroman and field tests, these barriers deliver thermal performance in the toughest conditions.
Emergencies can happen in any kind of weather - that's why GORE-TEX CROSSTECH® fabrics are durably waterproof as well as resistant to liquid chemicals commonly found at the fireground.
These barriers protect the wearer against windchill, allowing them to work comfortably outside for longer.
ADVANCED PROTECTION AT THE FIREGROUND
Wearing the appropriate protective gear when fighting fires is a life-critical decision. As well as protecting firefighters from the dangers of heat and flame, garments with a GORE-TEX CROSSTECH® barrier provide added protection against pathogens found in blood and body fluids as well as common fireground chemicals. Highly breathable gear allows sweat vapor to escape from inside the garment during physically demanding activities. These garments are specifically engineered to keep firefighters safe, comfortable and engaged for longer during emergencies.
Garments with GORE-TEX CROSSTECH® moisture barriers consist of an outer shell, a moisture barrier and a thermal liner. The thermal performance and breathability are determined by the layers selected. When moisture moves better within the layers, dry out time between calls is decreased and thermal protection is maintained better.
The moisture barrier forms an essential part of the structural firefighting garments, providing durable liquid penetration protection, while being breathable to let sweat escape.
When exposed to high heat, unique GORE-TEX CROSSTECH® moisture barriers will not burn or melt.
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Structural Firefighters
This technology has been developed for the extremely demanding situations that fire fighters are confronted with to protect them from the hazards of the fireground. It is ideal for firefighters at risk of exposure to heat and flame, blood and body fluids, water and common fireground or accident scene chemicals.
Standards
GORE-TEX CROSSTECH® product technology is tested in accordance with ISO 16604 procedure C / ASTM F 1671 SOP-12-013
Waterproofness: garments far exceed the requirements of EN 343 protective clothing - protection against rain and EN 14360 - protective clothing against rain - test method for ready made garments
Firefighters: EN 469 Protective clothing for firefighters - Performance requirements for protective clothing for firefighting activities
AVAILABLE CONSTRUCTIONS
Various technologies can be combined to produce additional benefits. The ability to combine different technologies adds versatility and freedom of choice.
Flameliner Laminate
for Level 2 protection
Description: When equipped with the lightweight Flameliner laminate, worn as the inner layer next to the skin, garments with a GORE-TEX CROSSTECH® moisture barrier provide heat and flame protection with optimised breathability. In this construction, the outer material and thermal barrier must be selected by Gore partners. The flexible Flameliner laminate is made up of an aramid and flame-retardant viscose blend liner combined with an ePTFE membrane.
Added benefits: The garments are constructed with a durable fabric which picks up less water. Garments made with this laminate are quick and easy to take on and off and are comfortable on the skin. Firefighters can rely on this level of garment technology to feel comfortable, dry and protected.
Norms & Standards: EN469 Level 2.
Ideal for: Structural firefighters.
Fireblocker Laminate
For level 2 protection
Description: Firefighting garments containing the GORE-TEX CROSSTECH® Fireblocker laminate combine flexibility and outstanding protection with excellent value. The thermal protection is lightweight and long-lasting and can be adjusted to meet the specific needs of the wearer without changing any other components. The Fireblocker laminate is positioned between the inner lining and the outer shell.
Added benefits: The Fireblocker laminate is made up of an aramid non-woven fabric combined with an ePTFE membrane. The orientation of the laminate influences breathability and protection performance.
Norms & Standards: Outstanding heat and flame protection - EN 469 Level 2 or above.
Ideal for: Structural firefighters.
GORE-TEX CROSSTECH® AIRLOCK® Garments
for Level 2 protection and added agility
Description: When agility and moving fast is a critical part of the job, GORE-TEX CROSSTECH® AIRLOCK® laminates are ideal. This technology is a combination of a traditional moisture barrier and a non-textile insulation (air cushion) and therefore offers an optimum level of breathability, with lightweight thermal protection.
Added benefits: This clever system applies chemical-resistant and highly thermally stable silicone spacers to a thin, non-woven substrate that is permanently bonded to the GORE-TEX CROSSTECH® moisture barrier. The spacers create an insulating air cushion for lightweight and low-bulk garments. They remain stable even at high and low temperatures and will not crack. Moisture can escape quickly, reducing the risk of steam burns.
Norms & Standards: EN 469 Level 2.
Ideal for: Structural firefighters requiring exceptional agility.
GORE-TEX CROSSTECH® PARALLON® system
for the optimal level of thermal protection
Description: The GORE-TEX CROSSTECH® PARALLON® system is a revolutionary solution that delivers extremely high protection from radiant and convective heat, with significantly increased breathability, even in wet conditions. Its functionality remains consistent.
Added Benefits: The technology has been proven through testing to reduce the risk of burn injuries, including steam or wet burns.
Norms & Standards: EN 469 compliant.
Ideal for:
GORE-TEX CROSSTECH® PARALLON® System 600 is ideal for professional firefighters in tough, long-lasting emergencies, designed to deliver the highest protection against heat and flame, combined with the highest breathability.
GORE-TEX CROSSTECH® PARALLON® System 500 is ideal for structural firefighting in warmer, more humid climates and for firefighters who undertake technical rescue work wearing structural garments. It is lighter and improves wearer comfort but does not compromise protection.
Manufacturing Partners
Interested in purchasing PPE related to this technology application? Find out more about our trusted manufacturing partners.
FeuReX and GORE:
Realistic training scenarios for firefighters
How do you cope with temperatures of 180 °C in an enclosed area in which a huge wood fire is raging? How should you react when your protective clothing comes into contact with hot steam reaching several hundred °C? These are the sort of topics covered by the firefighting training courses of FeuReX GmbH. At five different locations in Germany, firefighters can receive expert tuition on how to tackle serious structural fires, safely and effectively. Kitted out with Gore's newest fabric technologies, they also get the chance to demonstrate just how important high quality protective clothing is.
ESSENTIAL EXERCISES FOR PERSONAL SAFETY
"The most important part of the course is experiencing being exposed to heat. The course participants wear breathing apparatus and their own protective clothing." "They experience for themselves in our steel container how heat affects their bodies, both from a physical and a mental point of view," "says FeuReX general manager Josef Ottinger, who also heads up the training venue in Oberhausen." "Plus, they learn to recognise when exactly to leave a room to avoid suffering burn injuries." "At temperatures of 160°C to 180°C measured at the height of a door handle, the course participants break off the training session after spending between 3 and 5 minutes directly next to the fire in the wood-fired steel container. In the real-life situation of a fire in a normal room – the most commonly occurring fire incident – these are typically the temperatures at which they have to search for and rescue people while also putting out the fire.
Other procedures covered by the course include working in zero visibility conditions, how to behave when there is a high risk of a flashover occurring (involving the sudden ignition of flammable gases when the original fire is still smouldering), using thermal imaging cameras at the scene of the fire, and handling fire hoses with adjustable jet spray nozzles without sustaining property damage."
A KEY ASPECT: THE RIGHT PROTECTIVE CLOTHING
FeuReX attaches great importance to high quality protective clothing. Since 2017, all of its instructors have been kitted out with garments designed around Gore's latest fabric technologies: the revolutionary new GORE® PARALLON® clothing system is the first of its kind to position a thermal barrier between two membranes to deliver constantly high levels of heat and flame protection − when exposed to water from the outside as well as when the wearer produces a lot of sweat inside the garment. FeuReX has already purchased a total of 100 GORE® PARALLON® garments from manufacturer S-Gard Schutzkleidung in Heinsberg, Germany. Above all else, the instructors have expressed their satisfaction with the high levels of comfort and freedom of movement that this new class of fabric offers. They are also very happy with the way in which internal moisture moves through the layers. According to the instructors, they feel very comfortable wearing these protective garments, both in the fire container and on hot summer days. In addition, the GORE® PARALLON® System provides a high degree of insulation. Furthermore, the transition from a tolerably hot operational environment to a dangerously hot one takes place gradually - significantly enhancing the safety of the wearer.
FURTHER INFORMATION
The training courses are scheduled to take place in the following places:
Oberhausen, Gelnhausen, Landolfshausen-Potzwenden, Ludwigshafen/Oppau and Helmstedt.
More information about the course dates and contents can be found here.
Video
Copenhagen Airport Fire Service Chooses GORE® PARALLON® System 500
Firefighters at Copenhagen Airport Fire Service are the first in Denmark to benefit from the highest levels of protection from fire, blood pathogens, chemicals and particulates after choosing new gear from VIKING that incorporates GORE-TEX Moisture Barrier with GORE® CROSSTECH® Product Technology GORE® PARALLON® System 500.
Copenhagen Airport Fire Service protects the busiest airport in Scandinavia, with 22,800 airport employees and over 30 million passengers passing through each year on 266,000 flights.
The fire service has a staff 75 and operates in four teams who work 24-hour shifts with a complement of 14 operational firefighters in each shift. They split up to deploy from two airside fire stations, with seven firefighters based at each during the shift. The two locations on either side of the airport ensure that the three minute airport emergency response standard is always met.
The airport team are well equipped to tackle whatever incident they are tasked to and can respond with four foam trucks which carry up to 12,000 litres of water and 12,000 litres of foam, as well as an incident response vehicle, water rescue support vehicle and incident commander’s response car.
All the firefighters are medically trained as first responders, with additional training in sea rescue. The airport is surrounded by sea on two sides, so the team has to train for the possibility of an emergency landing in water. They are equipped with two rescue boats and also respond to over 20 water rescues throughout the year to help members of the public who may be in difficulty at sea.
Rene Holm is Incident Commander on shift 4 with operational responsibility for both stations.
Our teams are trained to the highest professional standards and respond to a broad range of over 2,400 incidents every year. As well as the specialist aviation knowledge and skills required for airport operations, they are unique in having water and sea rescue skills which regularly save lives in the sea around the airport,” he said. “A large number of airlines divert to Copenhagen airport in potential emergencies because of the quality and skills of our response teams and the extensive repair and maintenance facilities at the airport. Our firefighters are dealing with a unique set of hazards and risks so it’s essential that they have the best protection available to help them focus on the tasks at hand. They recognise the quality of design and performance with the new firefighting gear and the response has been really positive from everyone.
Firefighters at Copenhagen Airport are now protected by the new PARTX™ firefighting suits, designed and manufactured by VIKING, using the very latest in protective clothing technology. The suit is specifically designed to reduce exposure to particulates.
The new garments incorporate the revolutionary GORE-TEX Moisture Barrier with GORE® CROSSTECH® Product Technology GORE® PARALLON® System 500, which has been developed to specifically to reduce the risk of burn injuries and heat stress in wet and dry conditions. It gives consistent thermal protection for firefighters combined with high levels of comfort and breathability.
This is a unique use of two membranes encapsulating a layer of thermal protection that maintains breathability while wicking moisture away from the skin and out through the suit, simultaneously preventing liquid penetration from the outside. Internal moisture is efficiently moved through the layers, keeping the thermal protective fabric dry and reducing the risk of steam or wet compression burns. Breathability is high, reducing the risk of heat stress and keeping the wearer cooler for longer.
When a fire suit becomes wet inside, whether from water or heavy sweating, protection levels normally drop decreasing time to burn and reducing time for escape. In tests undertaken in wet conditions, the GORE-TEX Moisture Barrier with GORE® CROSSTECH® Product Technology GORE® PARALLON® System 500 consistently maintained thermal protection, allowing more time to escape and reducing the risk of burns.
GORE-TEX Moisture Barriers with GORE® CROSSTECH® Product Technology are tested in accordance with ISO 16604 procedure C, which tests the laminate and seams for resistance to blood borne pathogens and achieve 100% pass rates.
All GORE-TEX Moisture Barriers with GORE® CROSSTECH® Product Technology offer particulate blocking performance against fireground particulates. The NFPA 1971 2018 Edition standard recognises the importance of testing particle penetration. It has introduced a system level test to evaluate an ensemble design as well as a particulate blocking test used to evaluate particulate blocking layers in an optional particulate blocking hood.
The modified ASTM2299 testing, which was introduced to test firefighter hoods, uses a particle size from 0.1μm to 1.0μm to assess the efficiency of the particle blocking layer. It requires a minimum 90% performance to pass the test. When tested, the GORE-TEX Moisture Barrier with GORE® CROSSTECH® Product Technology achieved 99.9% blocking efficiency when evaluated using the particulate blocking test.
Protection from particulates was a significant driver behind the choice of protective firefighting gear. Union shop steward, Brian Bjørnø, had a key role in the development of the new gear.
I attended a conference in Helsinki on firefighter safety where the risks to firefighters from exposure to smoke particulates was highlighted,
Brian said.
Our priority is always to extend the life of our firefighters, not the suit, keeping them safe from all of the risks that they may face.
When we became aware of the research that shows high risks caused by particulates for firefighters, we started working with VIKING to develop new gear that would prioritise particulate protection while obviously maintaining required levels of protection from heat and flame.
We set up a working group and collaborated closely with BFC (Brandfolkenes Cancerforening) and VIKING to develop a suit that would meet all of our specific needs, addressing recommendations about cancer protection. The result is a unique suit deigned by the group to our own airport operations specification and incorporating a number of features to protect specifically from particulates. Specially designed cuffs on wrist and boot closures prevent particles from entering. The use of red hi-visibility reflective strips is exclusive to airport firefighters so that we can identify each other easily at incidents and stand out from other teams who may be involved in the incident. The reflective strips are not applied with stitching, which moves the risk of build up of particles and other contaminants on the suits.
The Gore Moisture Barrier plays an important role in maintaining those high standards of protection while at the same time keeping firefighter dry and cool when they are working. The suits have been in operational use for a few months now and the feedback has been extremely positive from the team. They immediately noticed how quickly the suits dry compared to the previous garments and it breathes better when they are working on tasks.
Crew Chief, Rasmus Nielsen, added:
We really like the new gear. You can feel the high level of protection when fighting a fire and the breathability when working is very good, which improves comfort for us and helps us to work safely for longer if necessary.
The team at Copenhagen Airport Fire Service are now protected by the most advanced garment technology available today, mitigating the risks involved in all of the many and varied operational situations that they are trained to tackle.
wearers
Copenhagen airport fire services
2019 Copenhagen Airport has once again been voted the most efficient airport in Europe. This has now happened on 14 out of 16 occasions. The independent Air Transport Research Society (ATRS), heads the selection process in which Copenhagen Airport won the title for airports with more than 25 to 40 million passengers.
partner
VIKING
VIKING works in close cooperation with leading industry suppliers of the fabrics and garments needed for making truly excellent fire suits. VIKING’s innovative design allows firefighters to conserve energy and concentrate fully on the business of saving lives.