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In this exclusive interview with Aurélie Favre, Senior Marketing Manager First Responder and Government EMEA for MSA Safety, I find out how after 110 years, the company’s safety mission remains the same, but the changing environment means that they are always innovating to meet the needs of the frontline.
The equipment used by firefighters must change and adapt. “This is what we are passionate about,” says. Aurélie. But with a product development cycle that can range from 1 to 5 years, how can a company like MSA be agile to respond to acute weather events, like the 4 0-degree heat experienced in the UK in July 2024?
Aurélie explains that learning from the frontline is vital to meet the evolving requirement. MSA has teams looking after geographical areas of the world and each look at the way the market is changing, listening to customers, to their suppliers. The company relies on its experimented field sales teams to collect that feedback and consolidate with marketing data to advise the strategic level in the company about where to commit investment in new solutions.
It is, she says, “A bottom to top approach, and then a top to bottom approach to meet those changing needs.”
Expanding on the conversation about the UK heatwave of 2022, but also drawing on the experience of the US where the prevalence of wildfires far exceeds anything experienced in the UK, Aurélie explains that this is why the company has developed new technical rescue and wildland firefighting PPE, building on innovation from trusted fabric suppliers in the world.
Equipping firefighters to work in the open
The new MSA Bristol X4 Wildland garment is available across Europe and in the UK and comes with one single layer, but includes details on the design and the pattern that will make it fit for purpose. It is designed for long-duration use in open-area fires where wearing a structural garment could be not adapted for heat stress management, as well as freedom of movement.
Having an extra kit to deal with wildfires is of course an additional cost and requires a different way of thinking when it comes to looking at the totality of PPE required across a fire and rescue service. This is why MSA has built an innovative and modular garment serving both technical rescue and wildland firefighting, with a removable moisture barrier that usually prevents from liquid ingress or blood borne pathogen cross contamination.
The GALLET F2XR
We talk about helmets and a new technical rescue platform. The GALLET F2XR is a multi-functional helmet platform that is certified to the latest technical rescue and wildland firefighting standards. Having listened to customers and gathered feedback from them, and after the success of its predecessor the F2-XTREM, this new generation also works in the water rescue environment. “It is a good balance between weight, ergonomics and the accessories that can fit in the helmet – integrated lighting for example,” she adds.
The Connected Firefighter
In France, MSA has recently opened a Connected Firefighter Experience Centre where it is talking and demonstrating to customers about its Connected Firefighter ecosystem. The Connected Firefighter ecosystem is a set of solutions, including hardware and software technologies that help fire brigades better manage PPE and related data associated with use and maintenance. It’s available now and is embedded into breathing apparatus, like the MSA M1 SCBA, but will have future innovations, like physiological monitoring.
“There is not a day when there is no news about natural disasters, and it is the firefighters who are responding. The technology shift is here, and it is allied to efficiency in terms of time and improving firefighter wellbeing.”
Looking ahead to The Emergency Services Show in September, we talk about the Firefighter PPE Stage that is focusing on the upcoming procurement exercise by the National Fire Chiefs Council to create a new framework for fire and rescue services to purchase structural firefighting PPE. Over the two days of the show, the Firefighter PPE Stage provides an opportunity for visitors to hear discussions about diversity, fit and performance and how a refresh can improve the experience for all firefighters.
Decontamination
One of the key subject areas for the Firefighter PPE stage is contaminants, and Aurélie recalls that decontamination was a hot topic during the pandemic as services sought to clean their PPE and help to keep firefighters safe. She says it accelerated the need for change; they had to find a solution to disinfect the PPE at pace.
Decontamination is not new to MSA Safety, but the adaptations they have made because of Covid have led to the use of a new technology for particulate blocking, which helps to block particulates in the hoods worn underneath the firefighter’s helmet. As awareness grows of the need to protect firefighters from smoke, manufacturers like MSA are stepping up and developing ways to help reduce exposure.
Concluding our interview, Aurélie shares how MSA Safety is approaching its corporate social responsibility when it comes to responding to the changing environment.
“How to be more sustainable and improve the lifetime of a product is critical to our thinking. Having equipment that is more durable is one way of reducing environmental impact and of course is better value for our public sector customers.”
She expands on this point by talking about partnerships with charities like FIRE AID, where MSA supports them by helping secure equipment donations to respond to disasters around the world. MSA has helped to secure fire service product donations to be used recently in locations including Ukraine, Nepal and Ghana.
The industry will once again be gathering at the NEC, Birmingham for The Emergency Services Show 2024, co located with The Emergency Tech Show on 18-19 September, check out the full exhibitor list here. You can find MSA Safety in Hall 5, stand G190.
