In the late sixties, a West Coast uniform salesman was selling special shirts to auto mechanics and gas-station attendants. The shirts featured a placket that hid the buttons and protected vehicles from scratches when attendants worked on them.

After making calls to a major chain of gasoline stations, the salesman decided to call on nearby fire departments. Firefighters saw that the station-attendant uniforms were more durable than the wash pants and work shirts they wore. They adopted this uniform for around the station.

Stationwear has come a long way since then, constructed with new — and new again — fabrics to meet ever-changing challenges.

New to Nomex

Nomex fiber is common in firefighter apparel, particulary fire hoods, because of its fire-resistance. But its abrasion-resistance, low shrinkage, and color-fastness also make it a popular choice for stationwear.

Bradley County (Tenn.) Fire-Rescue was looking for new stationwear after problems with its previous supplier.

"They couldn't get the dye correct for the pants and shirts to match," Chief Dewey Woody said. "And the weight of the garment was too heavy."

The combination department took its time selecting new stationwear. Firefighters completed a two-month test of Workrite's Nomex stationwear.

"We had two personnel wear a set of the Workrite uniforms and we decided to go ahead and change to the Nomex," Woody said. "Safety of our people was paramount in the decision."

Woody hopes to implement the switch to the new uniforms throughout the year. The department will provide three sets of uniforms to full-time members, while the 125 volunteers will have to buy their own. To help volunteers make the transition to the new uniforms, the department created an incentive program. Top producers or those who participate in designated activities can earn new uniforms as awards.

Along with changing its stationwear, the department also decided to change its stationwear care. Bradley County previously had an outside service launder its stationwear; however, the harsh detergents and dry cleaning products may have accelerated the need the replace the uniforms, which were only two years old. Now, personnel can clean the uniforms either in the station's washers and dryers or launder them at home according to instructions — with a caution to wash uniforms apart from family laundry.

Based on conversations with the stationwear dealer, Woody expects the new uniforms to last four to five years.

"If each one of the guys works nine days a month, each uniform should be washed three times a month," he said. "If they won't be laundered excessively, that should help them [to last longer]."

Cotton is Cooler

But sometimes a department can find what it's looking for in a fabric that everyone has known since childhood — cotton.

The Austin Fire Department decided to switch from Nomex to cotton stationwear from Blauer "to save money and hopefully be a little cooler" in the Texas heat, Bttn. Chief Thayer Smith said.

"This is a very recent switch, so we do not have good data yet on how it will work out," he said, adding that the department has a designated committee to review any clothing issues and to conduct evaluations. "The previous Nomex uniforms would last for years, only being replaced when they finally faded."

The Naperville (Ill.) Fire Department also switched to cotton after previously using Fechheimer FR (flame-resistant) stationwear.

"There were two reasons for the change. The first was cost," Bttn. Chief Gary Burke said. "The FR is approximately three times the cost [of cotton]. The second was practicality. It took me almost five years to convince numerous personnel that a flame-resistant uniform gave little to no protection under the turnout gear. If flame penetrated the turnout gear, the FR uniform only afforded momentary protection. [Still] the main convincing argument was cost savings."

Naperville supplies stationwear and PPE on an as-needed basis, and a quartermaster is in charge of the flow of products to department personnel. Burke served as quartermaster, and his criteria were specific: The garment had to be worn without deterioration for a minimum of one year, with stay-fast color, and be made of 100% natural fiber. And the uniforms have far outlasted the one-year mark.

"Our personnel who give the uniform the hardest use have been averaging approximately two years before replacement," he said.

While the department does not have a set policy on laundering of the stationwear in the fire stations, it is preferred that it be done at the station. Approximately a third of the personnel do launder at the fire station. The only mandatory laundering is the semi-annual laundering of the turnout PPE within the department.

• Read the "In Fabrics, Safety Still Comes First" sidebar to learn more about fire-resistant stationwear.

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