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The larger a fire brigade is, the more
different opinions and wishes need to be
considered. It is hardly surprising, then,
that there were calls quite early on in the
ranks of the Berlin Fire Brigade for a new,
modern fire helmet.
In 1989, a helmet-mask combination was
tested for comfort and effectiveness at the
Urban Fire Station in the Berlin district of
Kreuzberg – though in actual fact the test
was conducted to try out an improved facepiece
and not specifically the helmet.
However, the helmet's function as "mask
holder" was the most striking feature of the
test, thus attracting a great deal of public
attention and quickly turning what started
out as a respiratory protection test into a
helmet wearing test.
The test, whose results were positive, was
originally expected to result in the purchase
of new helmets and breathing masks for
the 3,500 or so members of the Berlin Fire
Brigade. However, the events which took
place in the wake of the fall of the Berlin
Wall and German reunification prompted
the decision-makers in the Berlin Senate
to postpone kitting out the West Berlin fire
brigade with the modern head protection
system and, instead, to focus first on bringing
the fire fighters in the eastern part of
the city up to the same safety standards as
those in the west.
There was in any case no pressing need
for new equipment, as DIN 14940 was still
in force and indeed was even issued in a
revised version in April 1990.
The whole issue then lay dormant until
1997, when EN 443, the new fire helmet
standard, finally entered into force in
December following numerous rounds of
discussion.
Even so, there was still no need to react
with particular urgency, as a dissertation
written by a student from Wuppertal, focusing
on the safety features of the currently
available helmets, came to the conclusion
that the aluminium helmet conforming to
DIN 14940 was by no means the worst of
its kind and that the new helmets available
on the market at the time did not necessarily
represent a quantum leap forward in
terms of head protection.
Armed with the findings of this scientific
paper, it was easy to feel reassuringly safe
and calmly monitor the market and its
developments.
The fairly restrictive regulations governing
purchasing procedures in the public sector
meant that it was necessary to first draw
up a "requirements profile" for a fire helmet.
For this reason, a six-month trial period was
carried out in late 2000 and early 2001 to
subject five selected helmets conforming
to EN 443 to extensive testing at several
of the Berlin Fire Brigade's stations.
In each case, three fire stations with a total
of 58 fire fighters were selected and fully
equipped with the new helmets – each fire
fighter receiving all the helmet models for
comparative testing purposes.
It was not the job of the fire fighters to
choose one of the five helmets, but to
determine the advantages and disadvantages
offered by the different models and
rate their importance in day-to-day fire
fighting operations.
This resulted in 2001 in a performance
description containing scores and weighting
factors to allow assessment of the helmets
on offer.
This performance description was to be
used by the Berlin Fire Brigade to assess
the available helmets and prepare an invitation
to tender.
By the summer of 2002 things started
moving on the market: the DFV (German
Fire Service Association) and the BUK
(Central Federation of Public Sector Accident
Insurers) jointly commissioned an
independent test institute to conduct a
safety analysis of the most commonly available
helmets following a near accident
which had been caused by bubbles forming
on a plastic helmet. The results of the test
report in respect of most of the helmets
conforming to EN 443 were disastrous.
The Berlin Fire Brigade thought about what
to do and checked whether it would be
possible to improve the aluminium helmet
conforming to DIN 14 940 by adding different
coatings, including a Teflon coating and
a powder coating.
The helmets were treated and then tested
for compliance with the new EN 443.
The results were alarming:
- Although the coatings improved the
electrical insulation of the helmet shells,
the helmet itself completely failed the
anti-permeation and shock absorption
tests.
- Clearly, it was not possible to meet the
requirements!
Obvious safety defects in aluminium
helmet
It was suddenly all too obvious to those in
charge at the Berlin Fire Brigade that the
helmets which had previously been thought
of as pretty safe actually had serious safety
defects. The only way to ensure the safety
of the fire fighters was to purchase completely
new helmets.
Once the financial prerequisites had been
met – by reallocating budgetary funds due
to the urgency of the matter – a Europewide
invitation to tender for the 6,000
helmets needed was issued in December
2002.
Specifications were drawn up on the basis
of the results of the original wearing test
and the wishes expressed by the fire
fighters themselves. Though it might be
assumed that fire fighters would want a
helmet which is as big as possible and provides
maximum protection, our colleagues
were unequivocally in favour of a half-shell
helmet weighing as little as possible and
without a "Dutch neck protector" which
gets in the way because it is always on the
helmet. The helmet also needed to allow
to be worn even with the visor down, and
all requirements of the DFV/BUK recommendations
needed to be met, e.g. greater
resistance to radiant heat, passed flame
engulfment test etc.
One of the helmets on offer was the Dräger
HPS 4100, which met all the stated requirements.
Offering a very good price-benefits
ratio, this helmet was then able, after giving
due consideration to all the technical specifications,
to come out on top in the Europewide
tender invitation.
It had only one disadvantage: it was new on
the market!
It was no great surprise that the fire fighters
initially approached the new helmet with
considerable scepticism, as several things
were different to before:
- The new helmet was much lighter than
the previous one, so some of the fire
fighters did not feel as well protected
as with the helmet they were used to.
- The new helmet was made of plastic,
instead of metal as in the past.
- The helmet was quite different in appearance,
and no longer had the much-loved
metal ridge, a feature specific to the
Berlin Fire Brigade.
- The design of the straps was completely
new. Instead of the strap which used to
be tightened under the chin, there were
now four adjustable cheek and nape
straps, and the chin strap could no longer
be adjusted.
- The neck protector was not made of
leather any more, but was a two-layer
Nomex® fabric
- At the same time, the Berlin Fire Brigade
had introduced a new helmet marking
system based on German-wide conventions.
As a result, many fire engine
drivers lost their red ring which was now
only given to senior officers.
Because certain objections had been expected,
the size of only 5,000 of the
helmets ordered had been fixed, to allow
more flexible reactions if necessary. What
is more, Dräger Safety had promised before
the contract was awarded to adapt the production
process at short notice to take any
requested changes into account. Although
there was plenty of information about the
new helmets, the helmet discussion admittedly
was far more emotional than could have
been expected. On top of this came the
odd teething trouble, serving to add even
more fuel to the flames of the critics.
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In no time at all, Dräger Safety responded
to the wishes of the fire fighters and made
changes to the straps, as well as adding
a depression to the inner shells of all the
helmets on site in response to complaints
by some fire fighters that the head strap
of the breathing mask had been pressing
uncomfortably onto their heads. The retest
needed for the approval process was then
carried out at short notice.
A compatibility problem with certain breathing
masks of different manufacturers meant
that a new inner liner had to be designed
to allow the large H3 helmet shell to be
worn by people with heads of normal size.
Problems related to comfort were also solved,
e.g. by providing a head pad for greater
comfort where the PU inner shell rests on
the top of the head.
All in all, it can now be said that 99.8 percent
of the fire fighters no longer have any
problems with their helmets. Only one – out
of around 5,000 fire fighters – cannot wear
the helmet because his larynx protrudes
unusually far, meaning that the straps would
need to be routed differently. He was given
an alternative helmet model.
The flexibility of Dräger Safety, working in
close cooperation with us, the customer,
meant that virtually all sceptics who were
still clinging on to the old model were persuaded
of the benefits of the new helmet.
The majority of Berlin fire fighters are now
more than satisfied with the helmet, and
especially praise its low weight and low
centre of gravity – a particular benefit during
longer operations.
The fact that the liner inside the helmet can
be easily removed and washed improves
hygiene, which many fire fighters regard as
very positive, as all Berlin fire brigade members
are sensitized to this issue because
they are also required to perform emergency
rescue duties.
The advantages of the HPS 4100
at a glance:
- Low weight
- Low centre of gravity
- Half-shell helmet, low height, so no
problem beneath chemical protective
suits and the like
- Proven and straightforward method of
head size adjustment with knurled screw
- Washable/removable and flame-resistant Nomex® inner liner
- Four-point Aramide straps which can
even be adjusted when the helmet is donned
- Highest safety standard, all optional tests as per EN 443
- Numerous features such as visor, lamp
holder with predetermined breaking
point, protective goggles, different
types of neck protector, communication
systems etc.
- Proven helmet shell shape based on
UN combat helmet
- Excellent price-benefits ratio
Having purchased the new helmets, we
have seen that it is not only the contract
award regulations and PPE requirements
which play an important role when changing
completely to a new fire helmet, but
also the
- wishes of the fire fighters themselves,
- compatibility with existing protective
clothing and equipment
- and the communication of important
information to the people who will be
wearing the new helmets.
This makes it all the more important to
work with a competent and flexible partner,
and this is just as true of helmets as good
as the HPS 4100 – after all, a lot but not
everything can be given consideration in
advance!
Helge Weber
Brandamtsrat
Service Unit Vehicles & Equipment
Berlin Fire Brigade
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Dräger Safety AG & Co. KGaA |
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Revalstrasse 1 |
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23560 Luebeck, Germany |
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Tel +49 451 882 0
Fax +49 451 882 2080
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