In the latest firefighter fashions, black is the new black. Over the next month, all 875 Cleveland firefighters will be getting new black, fire-resistant clothing which they call turn-out gear. Assistant Chief Tim O'Toole points out the cost isn't cheap.
Tim O'Toole: For the two pieces - coat and pants - its $1,200 per man. Times the 875, gets us near $1.1 million.
Cleveland is the first big city in the continental U.S. to use this clothing, which is made of 60% Kevlar and 40% of a material called Basofil. Cleveland was also the first city in the country to update to the current material - which is called Nomex - back in 1971. Fire Chief Paul Stubbs says before that, they had no real fire protection
Paul Stubbs: It was basically water resistant. They were basically raincoats.
Stubbs says the department was overdue for another change because the gear they're wearing now is as much as a dozen years old. The new suits can withstand temperatures of 1,200 degrees, which is several hundred more than the current suits. Chris Moelker of the New Hampshire-based Globe Company, which manufactures the new gear, says fires are hotter today because of what's burning.
Chris Moelker: Plastics basically, a lot of plastics, and if you look at the structures themselves they don't use trusses like we used to use trusses. A lot of it's pressboard and a lot of glues and things holding it together. A lot more air gets inside there and it burns a lot easier.
But the suits are not meant to totally isolate a firefighter from the heat. Moelker says they need to be aware of the temperature and back out. In fact, the new suits are more breathable.
Chris Moelker: When it's 90 degrees out and the heat that you're building up from the inside can't get out, it's basically like wearing a plastic bag. You want to be able to disperse that heat. A lot of firefighter fatalities are now because of heat-related issues: over-exhaustion, heart attacks, that sort of thing.
Over the next year, each Cleveland firefighter will be issued two of the new black suits. Chief O'Toole says clean turn-out gear works better but it's hard to convince the crew of that.
Tim O'Toole: When we issue our gear it's bright yellow.
Wait , you're saying this was bright yellow, this charred...
Tim O'Toole: This was bright yellow when it was issued. One of the keys to maintaining the health and safety value of this jacket is keeping it clean. The guys like the weathered look. You know its like a badge of honor to have pretty beat up gear. So we have difficulty getting it off of them. And if they have a good set and a poor set, they'd rather wear the set that looks better. This way, with the black gear, we eliminate that challenge. It already has that '90 mission look' as one of our guys refers to it.
O'Toole says Cleveland firefighters field tested the gear and made various custom changes like the location of pockets. The new black outer wear will include yellow reflective stripes. The old suits will be used for training or discarded.