The everyday clothes are made of traditional materials such as cotton, wool, linen, and leather. While some are plant-based or animal-based; many other garments are composed of synthetic fibers. The company is sure fabrics hardly cross the mind.
Suppose a user is a firefighter, utility worker, electrician, electric utility lineman, military aviator, or a race car driver. In that case, the user will be familiar with synthetic fibers such as Aramid blends for FR protection, a treated fabric created to withstand extreme heat with a significant ability to reduce burn injuries.
What’s the difference between treated vs inherent?
One of the biggest misconceptions is that all flame-resistant clothing contains Nomex®. Flame-resistant clothing (FRC) refers to any clothing designed to protect wearers from flash fires and thermal exposure. FRC is required to have labels that clearly announce the level of protection they provide.
FR clothing can also contain 100% cotton, in different weights, and different blends of other fibers. Untreated cotton is not flame-resistant and will ignite and continue to burn against the skin in an arc flash event.
Flame resistant properties
Inherent fabrics indicated that at least one of the fibers used in the fabric has its FR properties. FR fibers used in protective clothing are modacrylics and aramids, which provided excellent protection against flames and heat.
FR treated fabrics are cotton-based, blend with polyester, para-aramid, or polyamide, with a chemical treatment applied to the fabric. The chemical treatment results in the fabric becoming flame retardant during the lifetime of the garment.
Ready for work
The Dragonwear line uses an Aramid blend to provide excellent protection while delivering superior heat, flame, and arc-flash protection. These garments are designed to provide lightweight, comfortable solutions while offering uncompromising flame-resistant (FR) protection for a range of specialised occupations. True North Gear knows that fire is unpredictable, dangerous, and even deadly. That is why it designs clothing with safety in mind.
True North Gear’s Wildland Pro collection features NFPA 1977 certified shirts and pants constructed from Aramid blend with many appealing design features uniquely suited for wildland firefighters.
True North is a family-owned and operated company founded in 1992 by Alyx Fier. True North has grown from a one-man operation to an ISO 9001 registered company whose products are distributed worldwide. In addition to packs and bags for firefighters and SAR under the True North label, their products include a broad range of fire resistant clothing under the DragonWear label. Their headquarters are still in Seattle, Washington just up the street from the garage where we started.
Media contact
Rebecca Morpeth Spayne,
Editor, International Fire Buyer
Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922
Email: editor@firebuyer.com
