BARC NW Rescue took delivery of their new safety apparel in April, just in time for the opening meeting on 1 April. Historically the team has worn race overalls supplied by AWS and the latest sets served the team well for about 8 years.
In 2019 the team started to investigate improved personal protective equipment due to a few near-miss incidents while attending operational incidents which resulted in damage to overalls such as rips, tears, and minor injuries. Delayed due to Covid, members of the team attended the 2022 Emergency Services Show at the NEC to meet with manufacturers and try items on.
The objective was to improve and enhance the protection and longevity of the team's PPE. The new safety apparel needed to deliver on the following attributes:
- cut or tear protection when working in or around a damaged vehicle
- knee protection when working on different surfaces and around glass fragments
- flame retardant
- barrier against body fluids such as blood
- weather or water resistance
- two-piece for improved female wearer welfare and in case the garment requires replacing if contaminated, damaged, or wear and tear
After extensive research of clothing manufacturers and speaking to several emergency service teams around the country, including the Great North Air Ambulance team, Rig Equipment Ltd came out on top receiving excellent feedback and praise for their GB Dynamic range which delivered on all requirements.
BARC NW committee unanimously supported the proposal to upgrade the safety apparel at the end of 2022. The team has so far found the equipment to be excellent for all the required attributes and it performed admirably, with several incidents attended at the opening meeting.
Photo credit: Paul Williams