The job of a firefighter is difficult. Firefighters routinely place themselves in harm’s way for the sake of others. Maneuvering hose lines, deploying ground ladders, performing searches and removing victims from burning structures is simply hard work. As firefighters, we don’t need to make it worse by also having to fight our turnout gear.
Have you ever had to fight your own gear? I can recall several times early in my career where I would be fighting a fire but have difficulty putting my arms over my head. The shoulders in my coat would simply just be tight and restricting. I can also recall how, when I would reach for tools or pull on something, my coat sleeve would create a gap between my outer shell (where my protection was) and my wristlet. As a young firefighter, I just believed this was how the gear was.
Now, with some additional years on the job, I can understand turnout gear need not be an inflexible suit of armor. That is completely evident with the innovation of Globe Manufacturing’s G-XTREME PRO Jacket.
Globe’s history of innovation in firefighter PPE
Globe has been working to provide quality turnout gear to firefighters for over a century and invented the three-layer turnout gear system. It’s had numerous products over the years, and in 2015 launched the G-XTREME 3.0, touted as athletic gear for firefighters because it enhanced their performance on the job. For ten years that’s been a customer favorite. “The G-XTREME 3.0 is built like a tank and incorporates many mobility features that are valued by firefighters around the world,” said Derrick Mitsch, product line manager for Globe products. “It is based on the physiology of performance and hundreds of hours of firefighter interviews. We have taken that even further with the G-XTREME PRO.”
Globe and its parent company, MSA, traditionally go directly to firefighters – the boots on the ground – to discover exactly what we need on the job. The planning phase for this jacket included at least six months of interviews and discussions. From those discussions, think-groups and interviews, the G-XTREME PRO Jacket was born – not just as another iteration of a familiar product but as a new and innovative PPE solution.
“It all starts with going into the field,” said Mitsch. “We went to the fire stations and the union halls and invited firefighters to our facilities. From roundtable discussions with firefighters on the front lines, we found thermal protection and a level of breathability are expected, so where the differentiation occurs is in the fit, function and lack of restriction of the gear – all achieved through garment design.”
Incorporating firefighter input into PPE design
Globe’s G-XTREME PRO turnout jacket includes mobility-enhancing features based on direct firefighter feedback.
Globe
The AXTION liner has more stretch than traditional thermal liner fabrics.
Globe
Improved closure on the collar more easily engages the Velcro.
Globe
There’s 50% more stretch with the Kevlar mesh incorporated into the AXTION Liner than in traditional thermal liner fabrics.
Globe
The addition of the radio microphone pass-through port allows the mic to be moved quickly to the outside without compromising thermal protection or adding significant time to donning the coat.
Globe
For the G-XTREME PRO, Globe rethought the assembly process with just three panels, two front pieces and a back piece.
Globe
One of the biggest and possibly most radical changes to the jacket is its AXTION System. While most traditional turnout gear often adds more material to improve mobility, the Globe G-XTREME PRO includes the popular AXTION Back and AXTION Sleeve of the original G-XTREME style, combined with stretchable Kevlar mesh channels in the AXTION Liner. The AXTION Back is entirely pleated, from shoulder to hem. These features are fully integrated for maximum firefighter movement.
“When you’re on the training ground or fireground, you get exceptional reach and mobility to do your job at a high degree of proficiency with the AXTION System because you aren’t feeling any limitations or restrictions,” said Mitch Soman, fire service marketing manager at MSA and a firefighter.
The G-XTREME PRO has been tested by numerous firefighters, some of whom are Globe users and others who are – notably – not. While evaluating the jacket they simulated numerous exercises, including hose advancement, forcible entry and pulling ceiling. During testing, firefighters commented on the flexibility and range of motion in the shoulders, as well as a lack of rise in the jacket that could create gaps in the ensemble.
The secret sauce to the G-XTREME PRO enhanced mobility is in the stretch of the materials as part of the jacket design. There’s 50% more stretch with the Kevlar mesh incorporated into the AXTION Liner than in traditional thermal liner fabrics. In combination with the AXTION Back and AXTION Sleeve, the firefighter can reach, pull and maneuver comfortably in turnout gear and in an SCBA without restriction.
The G-XTREME PRO Jacket also has a newly designed collar, responding directly to firefighter feedback around size and function. The redesigned collar is shorter and integrates seamlessly when donning the jacket.
“We had a lot of feedback about the collar,” said Soman. “The engineering team redesigned it so that when you zip up the jacket, it has a natural lie to it so the firefighter doesn’t have to find the Velcro for the collar. Instead, it just engages very subtly and nicely.”
Another major feature of the G-XTREME PRO is an integrated mic pass-through for radio communications. This feature allows an easy and elegant way to move the radio microphone to the outside of the jacket without having to run it up and outside the collar, while maintaining the protection of a zippered front closure.
Numerous studies have shown wearing the radio outside the coat can compromise communications and create a potential snag hazard. Therefore, fire service best practices recommend wearing the radio underneath the coat if you choose to wear a radio strap. The addition of the radio microphone pass-through port allows the mic to be moved quickly to the outside without compromising thermal protection or adding significant time to donning the coat.
Garment design for natural movement
Another factor that sets the Globe G-XTREME PRO apart is how the garment is designed. Like all Globe turnout gear, its design factors in natural body shapes.
“The sleeves are not designed straight and stiff like a cardboard box,” said Soman. “People don’t stand that way. They stand with their arms slightly bent and often angled to the front a little bit. So that is how all our sleeves are cut, in addition to the pleats in this jacket style, so they extend and stretch with you.”
Most turnout jackets are assembled in four basic parts. There is typically a front left piece, a front right piece, a back piece and then the storm flap. For the G-XTREME PRO, Globe rethought the assembly process with just three panels, two front pieces and a back piece. With an integrated and smaller storm flap, the mic pass-through port became possible, which simultaneously reduces bulk and enhances comfort.
More fit options
Turnout gear has to be fitted for firefighters per NFPA standards and is custom to their size. Globe has gone beyond these requirements and significantly increased its available sizing for a wide range of firefighters. Typically, a manufacturer will have 2½-inch or 3-inch incremental sizing for garments, which causes a coat to be potentially oversized for the firefighter if they fall between sizes. This causes pillowing of sleeves and makes it harder to move in their gear. The Globe G-XTREME PRO has 1-inch length increments, which gives a better and more customized fit.
The G-XTREME PRO also comes in a choice of Men’s Straight, Men’s Tapered or Women’s fit, depending on body shape and preference. Straight fits are traditionally more of a straight-down shape, while a tapered fit pulls in approximately 4 inches from the shoulder to the waist. While NFPA standards require men’s and women’s turnout gear patterns, Globe takes it a step further with garment patterns specifically designed with the proportions of the female body in mind. This is accomplished with female-specific patterns where every pattern piece is graded individually to size. This allows female firefighters enhanced mobility, comfort and safety on the job.
Performance-tested fabrics
It is important to understand that turnout gear can be assembled with different fabrics that include a combination of fibers with different performance characteristics, and the Globe G-XTREME PRO is no different. Material composites should be selected based on a department’s risk assessment that identifies the hazards its personnel encounter in the course of their duties and describes appropriate levels of personal protection.
The Globe G-XTREME PRO can be constructed using industry popular fabrics. Composites with the Gore-Tex Crosstech Innovate moisture barrier are undergoing NFPA certification testing and are expected to be available soon for customers seeking turnout gear made from materials without intentionally added PFAS.
Turnout gear that takes performance to the next level
Globe’s new G-XTREME PRO Jacket is not just the next iteration of a familiar turnout jacket but a completely redesigned turnout jacket that firefighters are asking for. As firefighters fight fire, they don’t also need to be fighting their gear. G-XTREME PRO enables firefighters to reach, move, push and pull with maximum mobility.
For more information, visit Globe.
