A new model of fire-retardant glove has been found inadequate as proper burn protection by the New York City Fire Department, according to the New York Times.
The BlazeFighter protective gloves, manufactured by the Glove Corp, were purchased in September by the department but were found to be faulty. Fire officials report that six firefighters, who wore the new BlazeFighter gloves while fighting house fires around the city, suffered second-degree burns on the backs of their hands. In each instance, the gloves themselves were not damaged. The department is quickly taking steps to replace the gloves which are currently used by 6,500 firefighters in the 11,500-member force, at a total cost of about $850,000.
Fire department officials reported that a Brooklyn house fire on Nov. 14, 2010 exhibited the first signs of trouble when three firefighters on a hose line suffered second-degree burns to the backs of their hands. “The largest is the size of a quarter,” said James Long, a Fire Department spokesman. “It was blisters on the back of the hands, and on the fingers.” Three more incidents with similar results were soon to follow. A fourth firefighter suffered burns on a Brooklyn rooftop on Nov. 17, a fifth was burned on Dec. 25th, and a sixth firefighter experienced the same type of burn on Jan. 23.
The BlazeFighter gloves were purchased after a successful trial run and were hailed by the FDNY for their state-of-the-art design, taper fit, and compliance with National Fire Protection Association standards. The department’s safety command began an inquiry immediately following the series of similar injuries. An “independent, outside expert” was assigned to determine if the physical make-up of the gloves had been a factor in contributing to the burns, according to Chief Edward S. Kilduff.
The inquiry revealed that the Glove Corp had changed one of the materials in the glove from a cotton fiber to a polyester blend. Chief Kilduff confirmed that this change made the gloves noncompliant with national safety standards. The Glove Corp put out an advisory last month noting that the Blaze Fighter model had “encountered issues with the performance of the conductive heat resistance test,” adding that the company had received “reported cases of back of hand burns with a few pairs of this glove model.”
In 2009 the FDNY decided to phase out the gloves that it had used for a decade. The Blaze Fighter model was chosen based on input received from firefighters who evaluated and liked the gloves during a preliminary test phase. One individual, Firefighter Aaron Buch, of Rescue Company 1, endorsed the gloves by describing his ability to feel his “call button” through its material to issue a Mayday after falling through a floor at a fire in Chinatown.
The New York Times has reported that the manufacturer is unresponsive and calls to their general manager were not returned. Additional reports state that the Glove Corp has closed as of Jan. 31 but no other details are available. The closing of Glove Corp could complicate the city’s efforts to recover their losses, but the FDNY has referred the matter to the city’s Law Department, according to Gail Rubin, the chief of the city Law Department’s affirmative litigation division. Unions are also on notice regarding this issue. A “department order” was sent on Thursday evening to every firehouse alerting rank and file members of plans to soon deploy replacement gloves.
Chief Kilduff said, “The most important part of it, in our mind, is we need to get these gloves replaced as soon as possible. We understand we have to act as quickly as possible. One injury is one too many.”
