Q. I’ve never heard of Quaker Safety before! How can I be certain that you can meet the needs of my Fire Department?

A. Quaker Safety has been manufacturing garments for structural and proximity fire fighting since 1986. Substantial market research and development conducted throughout the years has provided Quaker Safety with insight into the requirements of the clothing from the fire department’s perspective which, in turn, has enabled Quaker Safety to design and manufacture high quality turnout gear. References are available upon request.

Q. What standards do your garments meet?

A. Structural fire fighting garments are NFPA 1971-2007 Edition and OSHA 29 CFR 1910.156 compliant. Proximity fire fighting garments are NFPA 1971-2007 compliant.

Q. Do you comply with the Berry Amendment?

A. The Berry Amendment pertains to Department of Defense purchases and requires that all textiles used in a product are American made. 95% of the materials used in the garments construction of Quaker Safety turnout gear are sourced right here in the United States! The remaining 5% are materials that are simply not manufactured domestically for fire-service applications and must be imported.

Q. Do your garments offer any protection against bloodborne pathogens?

A. Yes! Per the NFPA 1971 standard our garment moisture barriers and moisture barrier seams are tested for resistance against liquid and bloodborne pathogens and chemical penetration resistance against 5 common chemicals as specified in the NFPA 1971-2007 Edition Viral Penetration Resistance Test and the Liquid Penetration Resistance Test.

Quaker Safety structural garments also meet requirements of OSHA 29 CFR 1910.156. The requirements of this section apply to fire brigades, industrial fire departments and private or contractual type fire departments. Personal protective equipment requirements apply only to members of fire brigades performing interior structural fire fighting. The requirements of this section do not apply to airport crash rescue or forest fire fighting operations. http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=9810&p_table=STANDARDS

Q. What is your delivery time?

A. Our goal is to ship orders within 6-8 weeks after receipt of order. Additional time may be needed for larger orders or if there are raw material shortages. We offer an express delivery option for time-critical situations.

Q. How are your materials different from other protective clothing garment manufacturers?

A. Most United States garment manufacturers purchase their fabrics from mills such as DIFCO Performance Fabrics, Norfab Corporation, Safety Components Fabric Technologies and TenCate SouthernMills. These mills generally sell the same fabrics to all garment manufacturers.

Q. What is the difference between PBI Matrix and PBI/Kevlar outer shell material?

A. PBI/Kevlar Matrix and PBI/Kevlar are both blends of PBI and Kevlar yarns weighing approximately 7.5 ounces per square yard and offer similar thermal protective performance. The difference is that the PBI/Kevlar Matrix is reinforced with a network of 400 denier Kevlar filaments which gives superior tear strength and abrasion resistance.

Q. Are PBI outer shells susceptible to UV damage?

A. Any outer shell material using Nomex, Kevlar or PBI are susceptible to color changes or loss of strength when exposed to UV light. All protective garments should be shielded (as much as possible) from direct and indirect sunlight and fluorescent lighting.

Q. Can I get PBI or ADVANCE material in an off-white color?

A. No. At this time the only NFPA 1971 compliant off-white outer shell material is Nomex IIIA. PBI/Kevlar outer shells are only available in natural (gold) and black. ADVANCE outer shells are available in black, gold, khaki, rust and yellow.

Q. Do you repair garments?

A. Yes, although we only perform repairs on Quaker Safety garments. Please refer to the User Information tab of this web site for more repair information.

Q. What is covered under your warranty?

A. We warrant for a maximum of five years from the date of manufacture that our products will be free from defects in materials and workmanship when used by appropriately trained personnel following acceptable fire fighting or emergency medical operations procedures. Copies of our product warranty and repair warranty can be found under the User Information tab of this web site.

Q. There are so many material choices! How do we determine what is best for our Fire Department?

A. Quaker Safety offers its customers a broad selection of garment styles, materials and options from which to choose which enhances the comfort, mobility and safety of the fire fighter. There are many factors that should be considered prior to choosing the outer shell, moisture barrier or thermal liner materials. These factors include but are not limited to thermal protective performance, total heat loss, durability, wicking ability, drying ability, abrasion resistance, etc. Please contact your distributor or our Customer Service Department to discuss your specific needs.

Q. What is a TPP rating and why is it important?

A. The Thermal Protective Performance (TPP) rating measures the insulating performance of fabrics. The length of time that an ensemble protects you from a second degree burn may be determined by dividing the TPP rating in half. For example, a composite with a TPP rating of 42 provides 21 seconds from a second degree burn. NFPA 1971 requires a 35 TPP rating which equates to 17.5 seconds until second degree burn occur in a flashover situation.

Q. What is a THL rating and why is it important?

A. The Total Heat Loss (THL) rating measures the ability of a garment to allow heat to pass away from the body through the 3 composite layers of your garment. Generally, the higher the THL, the more likely the system will be able to dissipate excess body heat. NFPA 1971 requires a minimum total heat loss of 205 w/m2.

Q. What are the TPP and THL ratings of my garment?

A. Before we answer that question we would like to stress several important points for your consideration:

• When choosing fabrics for your garments, it is important to remember that heavier, thicker materials typically give higher TPP values, but may also cause greater heat stress.
• There are lighter weight fabrics available in the market today which may not provide as high of a TPP value but allow for greater THL value.
• Your material choices should not be based solely upon numbers. You will need to carefully consider how you use your protective clothing and what type of firefighting situations you routinely encounter to make the best decisions about what materials will best suit your Fire Department’s unique needs.

Our TPP and THL testing is supported by our fabric suppliers. The actual TPP and THL values for all of our composites are provided by Underwriters Laboratories. All manufacturers’ garments when constructed from the same composite materials will fall within the same range. The fabric weight and mass can vary by lot and accordingly the test results will vary dependent upon the particular materials that were submitted for testing. Please contact your distributor or our Customer Service Department for specific TPP and THL values.

Q. How much does Quaker Safety turnout gear cost?

A. Quaker Safety manufactures custom garments and your pricing is determined by your Fire Department specifications. Garment costs will vary based upon the garment style, materials and options you choose. Our highly qualified distributors can assist you with establishing specs and can provide you with pricing. Your Fire Department may be eligible for one of our trial programs. Please contact your Quaker Safety distributor for more information.