Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service

Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service employ 1294 people including 794 fulltime fire fighters, 310 retained fire fighters and 30 control staff.  This dedicated team looks after 890,000 people living and working in the City of Edinburgh, West Lothian, East Lothian, Midlothian and the Scottish Borders.

As well as providing high profile emergency services, such as fire fighting and rescue from road traffic incidents, they also deal with flooding, give advice on fire safety, run training courses and carry out safety checks for homes and businesses. 

Like all rescue services, the crews require a wide range of specialist Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to perform their duties safely and efficiently. This kit is continually being updated and improved to take advantage of the latest technologies. 

Cosalt was recently asked to design and develop a new versatile two-piece rescue suit that could be used specifically by crews attending road traffic collisions but also by personnel dealing with moorland fires. 

Explained Graham Stevenson, the brigade's Group Manager Operations Research: "Our existing suits were just not designed with these operations in mind.  They are too restrictive if you are clambering in and out of a crash vehicle and no good at preventing cuts and abrasions.  With road traffic collisions there are many sharp pieces of metal that can easily tear and puncture traditional fire suit materials. 

"We also had a problem when it came to fighting moorland fires.  Our fire engines are often left some distance from the fire and we have to walk a good distance over open countryside.  This can be sweltering in a traditional fire suit on a warm day."

Working closely with the customer to find a cost-effective solution, Cosalt came up with a design for a versatile non-structural two-piece suit made from very strong tear resistant fabrics. The suit incorporates an inner Goretex liner that can be removed to make it lighter for fighting moorland fires. The jacket and trouser combination can also be zipped together to protect the wearer's back if they need to crawl into a confined space.

Commented Graham: "Cosalt produced a garment that matched our specification perfectly. They listened carefully and spent time asking us what we were looking for. It felt like they got under the skin of what we wanted and that our requirements came first in the whole design process. What's more, they worked quickly and were very co-operative when it came to making minor changes."

"Cosalt listened carefully and spent time asking us what we were looking for. It felt like they got under the skin of what we wanted."

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