Dräger, an international leader in the fields of medical and safety technology, has donated five HPS® Safeguard helmets to a group of firefighters who regularly compete in global firefighter fitness competitions to support their efforts, and promote fitness as a means of furthering firefighter health.
The helmets are being used in the European and North American FireFit Championships, the German Firefighter Combat Challenge and the British Firefighter Challenge. These competitions, which attract anything from 150-300 firefighters, are designed to mimic real life firefighting scenarios and require firefighters to wear full firefighting kit, and even complete timed courses while ‘under air’ and attached to self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). Dräger also supplies its PSS® Airboss SCBA to competitions.
Michael Joseph, of the Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, approached Dräger’s stand at last year’s Emergency Services Show because he liked the HPS Safeguard’s design: “We are not insured to wear our Service’s fire kit so to compete we need to procure ‘race kit’. The HPS Safeguard has a comfortable design and is very light, which is a useful advantage in competition, as well as real firefighting.
“I first started competing 14 years ago and considered myself fit, but was amazed at how challenging competitions are. They set a very high standard directly related to our job and are an excellent way to ensure firefighters prioritise fitness. I’m so pleased Dräger has been able to supply helmets that help my colleagues and I continue competing, and with the advantages that light equipment offers.”
Elizabeth Millward, Marketing Manager Emergency and Rescue Services at Dräger, says the team felt this donation was a great opportunity to support and promote firefighter health:
“We require our firefighting personnel to stay very fit. These competitions attract good numbers of firefighters looking to get fitter to the benefit of their overall health, and ability to perform their roles. We congratulate Michael and his colleagues on the German FireFit Challenge already completed this year and wish them all the very best for the competitions ahead.”
Dräger’s HPS Safeguard helmet is extremely fast and easy to put on and use. The padded 3-point harness with versatile chin and neck straps, coupled with an adjustment wheel placed on the back of the helmet, allow for a safe and easy fit to any head shape or size, and can accommodate users who observe cultural or religious practices. The helmet’s innovative design is such that various external devices can be affixed to it with ease and enables hands-free operation of thermal imaging cameras, comms and lamps if required.
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