What Safety Gloves Do Firefighters Use? Introducing FireArmor® SR-X® 8180 Structural Firefighting Glove

Firefighters have a notoriously dangerous job that saves countless lives.
In order for them to do their job correctly, they must go through rigorous training and wear the
correct gear that can protect them in the environments that they enter and work in. One of the
most important pieces of gear is their safety gloves.

In this article, we will explore the question “What safety gloves do
firefighters use?” and discuss what to look out for when shopping for a firefighter glove.

There are many reasons that firefighters use gloves. The most obvious
reason is to protect them from injury. Firefighters deal with extreme heat, smoke, water,
chemicals, as well as sharp and dangerous terrain. Nothing about the job is safe which is why they
need as much protection as possible; however, the protective gear that they wear must also
provide them with dexterity to perform their job.

Thus, firefighters wear certified safety gloves to enhance their ability
within difficult situations and protect themselves from serious injuries.

First and foremost, the appropriate standard to identify when shortlisting
your tactical firefighting gloves is the NFPA 1971:2018 standard. Then to ensure that a firefighter
receives as much protection as possible, it is important to keep an eye out for a few
key features that will ensure safety and dexterity. These features include:

• An Extended Gauntlet Cuff: An extended gauntlet cuff is a
  must-have on a firefighter glove as it provides protection against any debris that could
  possibly fall inside of the glove.
• Reinforcements: It is preferable to have both the palm patch and
  thumb saddle reinforced as this provides added protection against external factors
  and increases the wear resistance on a glove.
• Kevlar® Liner: When placed on the back-of-hand area of the glove,
  a Kevlar® liner can provide heat and cut protection to its wearer.
• Kevlar® Thread: This ensures that the gloves are stronger and are
  less likely to deteriorate as it provides added fire resistance.
• Resistances: It is important to ensure that the safety gloves have
  both flame- and water-resistance. This is due to the fact that firefighters encounter
  both when arriving at a scene. If the correct safety gloves are not worn, water can cause
  grip problems and fire would cause the obvious problem of burning the gloves
  and the wearer’s hands.
• A Moisture Barrier: These layers should be located on the interior
  of the safety glove and should preferably consist of a material such as H2X+™.
• An Inner Liner: When a material such as 100% Nomex® knit inner
  liner is used, one can be sure that there is extra heat resistance that covers the full 360°
  of the hand.
• Certification and Conformity: The FireArmor® SR-X® 8180 meets the
  requirements of NFPA 1971-2018, Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural
  Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting, as well as SEI 2018 certification.

Yes! Firefighter gloves can most definitely be washed. One must just
be careful to wash them correctly to ensure that they stand the test of
time and are not damaged. Some tips to keep in mind when washing your gloves:

• Wear them on your hands when washing them.
• With the gloves on your hands, dampen the gloves, apply a
  mild soap and wash them as if you were washing your hands
  as you ordinarily would.
• It is important to make use of mild soap with lukewarm water
• Ensure your rinse them properly with cool water.
• Do not wring the gloves out as this can damage interior stitching
  or rip the moisture barrier. We recommend placing a hollow tube
  inside the gloves to allow air to enter the glove. Store the gloves
  where there is constant air motion.
• Do not place the gloves on a heater as this will dry out the leather
  and cause stiffness.

There are many different firefighter gloves on the market, but none as
effective and well equipped for the job as the HexArmor FireArmor®
SR-X® 8180 Gloves. This structural firefighting glove contains all of
the features mentioned above and more. To find out more about these
revolutionary firefighting gloves that are taking the market by storm, click here.