Company name: Heat Straps LLC
Headquarters: Jersey City, N.J.
Signature Product: Heat Straps glove strap
Website: https://www.heatstrapsusa.com/
1. Where did your company name originate from?
The Heat Straps name derives from the basic function of the product with an emphasis on heat resistance and classification as a PPE solution.
2. What was the inspiration behind starting your company?
While ascending a staircase as part of a fire academy drill, Jordan Lang set his fire gloves down to mask up, causing his gloves to fall between two stairways. Jordan went home that night and asked his father why his fire gloves couldn’t somehow remain attached to his wrist or person. With the encouragement of his firefighter father, Jordan researched the development and design of the product before putting the straps on the market. When the first prototype was made, it was provided to Jordan’s brother, Tyler, who provided positive feedback. This helped speed up the initial production process. The Langs are third-generation career firefighters working for the Jersey City Fire Department.
3. What is your signature product and how does it work?
Our signature product is the Heat Straps glove strap, which provides a fire-resistant attachment point to keep fire gloves safe and secure in dangerous firefighting situations. The product consists of a fire-resistant Velcro strap designed to fit any wrist and glove. The product allows firefighters to multi-task without the worry of losing their gloves.
4. Why do you believe your products are essential to the firefighting community?
Heat Straps are an added safety feature, which is commonly overlooked by firefighters. While fighting a fire, gloves are removed more than one might expect, often to perform tasks which require dexterity. The freedom the straps provide allows firefighters to work smarter, faster and safer. With Heat Straps, there is no need to tuck your gloves under your arms or knees – they’re always secure and readily available.
5. What has been the biggest challenge your company has faced?
The company’s biggest challenge has been the changes in the fire service. Firefighters often don’t like change and it has been difficult to convince departments that Heat Straps are a practical firefighting solution rather than a gimmick. Heat Straps are an added safety feature and don’t require any changes to operations on the fireground.
6. What makes your company unique?
Heat Straps is a first-generation product developed by Jersey City, N.J., firefighters, for firefighters. Unlike other PPE solutions, Heat Straps do not require any changes to how a firefighter performs on the fireground. The product is adaptable to any PPE setup and any type of firefighting – from urban environments to wildland fires.
7. What do your customers like best about you and our products?
Firefighters appreciate the convenience afforded by Heat Straps, which allow for faster removal of gloves, safer masking and easier operation of radios.
Heat Straps has outfitted some large fire departments in a relatively short amount of time. The Boston Fire Department and New Haven Fire Department are satisfied customers. Prior to adopting Heat Straps, both of these departments had problems with burns and injuries as a result of removing or handling loose gloves, masking or other activities requiring dexterity. In the case of Boston Fire Department, Heat Straps were shown and tested by the battalion and deputy chiefs and soon outfitted among the entire department.
8. What is the most rewarding part of serving the first responder community?
Heat Straps enjoys knowing that its product is truly beneficial to the fire service and used by many firefighters each day. It’s our goal to see Heat Straps as a standard among the firefighting community, allowing firefighters to operate safely and quickly in hazardous environments.
9. Do you support any charitable organizations within public safety?
Heat Straps participates in local fundraisers and has donated to fire departments in California following wildfires and other disasters. Heat Straps views the firefighting community as a brotherhood and is always willing to donate either money or time to charitable causes.
10. Is there any fun fact or trivia that you’d like to share with our users about you or your company?
Unlike some PPE products, Heat Straps is a family-owned and operated business – with all design and production taking place in New Jersey.
Heat Straps has outfitted the following departments:
- Boston, MA
- New Haven, CT
- Oxen Hill, CT
- Mahwah, NJ
- Upper Saddle River, NJ
- Saddle River, NJ
- Park Ridge, NJ
- Morristown, NJ
- Long Valley, NJ
- Edgewater, NJ
And, on top of these departments, many other departments have been outfitted as well.
11. What’s next for your company? Any upcoming new projects or initiatives?
Heat Straps will continue its efforts to standardize the product under the NFPA. NFPA standardization will help broaden the market of Heat Straps in terms of individual firefighters and departments. Heat Straps wants to develop a bulk order pricing model for department-wide sales. This model may involve different pricing tiers based on the size and needs of a given department and may be launched during the initial marketing campaign. In the longer term, Heat Straps is eager to begin international sales.