As the colder weather starts to take effect around our country, the sales of fleece jackets steadily increase. I note that the fleece jackets have grown in popularity over the last four years and their design has improved dramatically from the days when there was no difference between the fleece jackets offered for sale in camping stores to a more suitable cut to allow access to arms and appointments, rank slides and ID panels.

Fleece jackets are popular because they are lightweight and warm, they trap warm air next to the body and work well even if wet. However they do have some issues which need to be clearly dealt with.

One thing that has changed little is the awareness that most ‘fleece style’ jackets are highly flammable. This is a major concern considering that even though police are NOT firefighters they generally arrive at accidents and other hazardous situations well before other agencies. The high polyester content and the open weave nature of fleece allows it to absorb petrol fumes present at traffic accidents exposing the wearer to risk of burns should there be a ‘flash-over’. Fleece will generally shrink and melt when exposed to flame which leaves the wearer at high risk of being severely burnt.

Most modern armies around the world have begun to restrict the use of fleece style jackets in high risk combat environments unless the jacket is constructed from flame retardant materials and has been rated against industry fire safety standards.

When we consider the closeness of cooperation between responding agencies at varying emergency situations we need to educate users of fleece jackets to their limitations.

Emergency personnel need to be aware of the limitations of standard fleece jackets when working near risk of fire situations. Specialist flame retardant fleeces are essentially a new evolution in product development and they are expensive to produce and are only currently issued to air crew and some military units. As the production of flame retardant fleece increases its cost will come down.

Whilst winter weather is present and the need for protection against the cold and wet is essential make sure you are aware of the limitations of your own uniform especially when near risk of fire. Fire retardant clothing must have a label attached stating that the garment is flame retardant. If there is no label stating this then assume on the safe side it is not flame retardant. Now is a good time to think about the rest of your uniform…what would happen to it if exposed to flame?

Stay Safe,

John Hoffman
Operations Manager