Abstract: A protective helmet, which is intended to be only worn by a wearer who is authorized to pass through a security perimeter, comprises an outer shell, a pocket, which is mounted to the outer shell and which defines a window, a flap, which is movable between a position wherein the flap covers the window and positions wherein the flap does not cover the window, and a card, which is disposed in the pocket. The card displays or records data, which are readable through the window by a human, by an electronic reader, or by both, and which are unique to the authorized wearer of the protective garment. The data may comprise symbolic data, such as bar code data, and may comprise a photograph of the authorized wearer of the protective garment. When the flap covers the window, the flap protects the data against becoming unreadable because of foreign matter, such as soot, or because of surface abrasion.

Abstract: In a combination wherein a thermal imaging camera having a front lens is mounted to a protective helmet, such as a firefighter's helmet, where the thermal imaging camera is not covered from above by any portion of the protective helmet, wherein a display is mounted below the front area of the brim, and wherein an arm connects the thermal imaging camera to the display, a shroud, which is aluminized so as to be heat-reflective, is adapted, when secured to the protective helmet, to cover the exposed top, side, and front surfaces of the thermal imaging camera, except for a front opening for the front lens and except for a bottom opening, through which the display and the arm connecting the thermal imaging camera to the display can pass when the shroud is being installed.

Abstract: A protective garment for a firefighter, a rescue worker, a chemical worker, or another worker working in a hazardous environment, has plural layers, each of which comprises a polymeric film that is fluid-impervious where not penetrated, which are not laminated, and which are detached from one another, except at seams at their boundaries and, possibly, if and where those layers are quilted. Spaces containing air only or containing an absorbent material are defined by those layers, in regions bounded by the seams. Whatever those spaces may contain, in regions bounded by the seams, those layers provide a wearer of the protective garment with redundant protection against fluid entry.

Abstract: In a protective ensemble for a firefighter or for an emergency rescue worker, a distal portion of a limb-covering, torso-covering, or head-covering region of a protective garment surrounds a portion of a protective item worn with the protective garment. A gasket extending around and inside of the distal portion of the limb-covering, torso-covering, or head-covering region and a gasket extending around and outside the surrounded portion of the protective item worn with the protective garment engage each other. A given one of the gaskets is magnetic and the other one of the gaskets is magnetically attractable. The magnetic gasket comprises a magnetic strip, which is covered by an elastomeric sleeve. The magnetically attractable gasket comprises a magnetically attractable strip, which is covered by an elastomeric sleeve.

Abstract: A protective garment having a collar has a chinstrap attached to the collar via an elongate member having two opposite ends, each of which is attached to the collar and one of which is attached detachably to the collar via a hook-and-loop fastener. The chinstrap is adjustable along the elongate member to any on a range of adjusted positions of the chinstrap along the elongate member. Preferably, the elongate member is a strap, which or at least a portion of which is elastic, and the chinstrap has a hem, through which the elongate member passes.

Abstract: In a set of protective gear for a firefighter or for an emergency worker, a helmet is covered by an aluminized cover, which is joined to an aluminized shroud along an uninterrupted juncture, so as to eliminate any gap between the shroud and the cover, where the cover is joined to the shroud. In a preferred embodiment, the uninterrupted juncture is defined by a permanent seam, which is sewn and which may be sealed by an adhesive sealant so as to be fluid-impervious. Being uninterrupted, the seam impedes and, if sealed by an adhesive sealant, blocks infiltration of heat, water, gases, or smoke between the shroud and the cover. In an alternative embodiment, cover and the shroud have common region including the uninterrupted juncture, the common region being aluminized. The common region blocks infiltration of heat, water, gases, or smoke between the shroud and the cover.

Abstract: In a protective garment comprising an outer shell, a liner providing a conventional moisture barrier within the outer shell, and a thermal liner within the liner providing the conventional moisture barrier, a liner providing an additional moisture barrier within the thermal liner is provided. The additional moisture barrier extends from an edge of the protective garment, into the protective garment, for at least several inches from the edge. The edge could be the distal edge of an arm sleeve of a protective coat, the lower edge of the protective coat, or the distal edge of a leg sleeve of a pair of protective pants.

Abstract: A protective garment, such as a coat, trousers, overalls, or coveralls, for a firefighter or an emergency worker, has a front portion and a back portion. The back portion is breathable to allow air to pass through the back portion, whereas substantially the entire front portion includes a continuous, fluid-impervious, heat-reflective layer, such as an aluminized, polyester film.

Abstract: A protective garment for a firefighter or for an emergency worker comprises a pocket, which is adapted to hold a telecommunications device, and a pouch, which contains the pocket and is adapted to hold a face mask, outside the pocket. The pouch has a first mouth, which when opened provides access to the pocket, and a second mouth, which when opened provides access to the pouch, outside the pocket. When the protective garment is being worn by a person standing erectly, the first mouth becomes an upper mouth and the second mouth becomes a lower mouth. Each mouth of the pouch has manually operable closures or a manually operable closure, such as a flap, which is securable to a wall of the pouch via a hook-and-loop closure and via a metal clasp, at the first mouth and such as a zippered closure at the second mouth.

Abstract: A protective garment, such as a firefighter's coat, comprises an outer shell, an inner liner, a closure zipper for opening and closing the outer shell, and two liner zippers, each on one side of the closure zipper, for attaching and detaching the inner liner. Each zipper has two rows of interengageable teeth. Each row of interengageable teeth of the closure zipper and one of the rows of interengageable teeth of one of the liner zippers are provided along opposite edges of a common, fabric tape, which is sewn to and within the outer shell. The other row of interengageable teeth of each of the liner zippers is attached to one edge of a separate, fabric tape, which is sewn to the inner liner.

Abstract: In a protective glove, such as a firefighter's or welder's glove, which has a main portion, a thumb-covering portion, and four finger-covering portions and in which each portion has a front face and a back face and each face having a periphery, an edge strip joining the peripheries of the front and back faces of the of the main, thumb, and finger portions has two elongate edges, which are equidistant when the edge strip is taut, except in specific regions, where the protective glove when worn covers the wearer's knuckles and where the protective glove when worn covers the heel of the wearer's hand, at which regions the edge strip is widened to facilitate flexing without binding. Preferably, those regions where the edge strip is widened are located along a single one of the elongate edges, namely, the elongate edge joined to the peripheries of the back faces of the main, thumb, and finger portions.

Abstract: A fluid-impervious sheet has two expansive surfaces, to one of which an elastomeric grommet adheres. The elastomeric grommet, which is annular when unstressed, outlines a region on the fluid-impervious sheet. The elastic grommet is adapted to provide a fluid-impervious seal around an object penetrating the region outlined by the elastomeric grommet and fitting tightly through the elastomeric grommet. A protective garment for a hazardous environment is made from the fluid-impervious sheet and has a breathing apparatus, which comprises elements inside the protective garment, elements outside the protective garment, and a tube connecting the inside and outside elements. The tube penetrates the region outlined by the elastomeric grommet and fits tightly through the elastomeric grommet, which provides a fluid-impervious seal around the tube.

Abstract: A protective item for a firefighter or for an emergency rescue worker has an outer shell and an inner liner, wherein at least one of the outer shell and the inner liner is opaque to hazardous radiation. The inner liner may have plural layers, one being opaque to hazardous radiation, another providing a moisture and chemical barrier, and another providing thermal insulation.

Abstract: A protective garment for a military or paramilitary firefighter or emergency worker has an outer shell, which has two expansive surfaces comprised of a surface of high visibility and a surface of low visibility. The outer shell is reversible so that, when the protective garment is worn, one such surface becomes an outer surface of the outer shell and the other surface becomes an inner surface of the outer shell. The outer shell having portions that are reflective, fluorescent, or both on the surface of high visibility but not on the surface of low visibility. The protective garment has an inner liner, which is attachable detachably to the outer shell so as to be wearable within whichever of the expansive surfaces becomes the inner surface of the outer shell.

Abstract: For a firefighter, rescue worker, or chemical worker or another wearer needing head protection, a protective hood, a fitment, a face mask, and a head harness are combined. The head harness is attached to the face mask, at an upper portion of the face mask, so as to secure the face mask to the wearer's head, when the face mask and the head harness are worn. The protective hood is attached detachably to the face mask, at a lower portion of the face mask, but is not attached elsewhere. The protective hood is adapted to cover the wearer's head and to cover the head harness, except for a frontal region of the wearer's head, when the protective hood, the face mask, and the head harness are worn. The fitment is attachable to the face mask.

Abstract: In a protective glove having a wristlet and having a back face adapted to cover a back face of a wearer's hand, the back face has a thumb-covering portion and four finger-covering portions, which include an index finger-covering portion adjacent to the thumb-covering portion, and the back face has an inner liner and an outer shell, wherein the outer shell of the back face is folded and is sewn where folded so as to define inner ribs, which point toward and are able to touch the inner liner and which when touching the inner liner define pockets containing air providing thermal insulation. In one contemplated embodiment, the ribs include a rib terminating approximately where the thumb-covering portion and the index finger-covering portion meet and three other ribs, each terminating approximately where two of the finger-covering portions meet. In an alternative embodiment, in which the ribs extend across the protective glove, the ribs include ribs extending across the finger-covering portions.

Abstract: A protective helmet, which is intended to be only worn by a wearer who is authorized to pass through a security perimeter, comprises an outer shell, a pocket, which is mounted to the outer shell and which defines a window, a flap, which is movable between a position wherein the flap covers the window and positions wherein the flap does not cover the window, and a card, which is disposed in the pocket. The card displays or records data, which are readable through the window by a human, by an electronic reader, or by both, and which are unique to the authorized wearer of the protective garment. The data may comprise symbolic data, such as bar code data, and may comprise a photograph of the authorized wearer of the protective garment. When the flap covers the window, the flap protects the data against becoming unreadable because of foreign matter, such as soot, or because of surface abrasion.

Abstract: A protective boot made from a foldable material such as Nomex™ material or Kevlar™ material or, for some applications, such as neoprene has an ankle-covering portion and a foot-covering portion, which has a heel end and a toe end. Near the toe end, the foot-covering portion is foldable onto itself and is fastenable to itself when and where folded onto itself, whereby the foot-covering portion can be adjustably sized. Hook-and-loop fasteners, which are preferred, or other fasteners are used for fastening the foot-covering portion releasably to itself when and where folded onto itself, at any one of plural positions. Hook-and-loop fasteners, if used therefor, enable the foot-covering portion to be releasably fastened to itself when and where folded onto itself, at any position within a range of possible positions. The protective boot has two hook-and-loop straps, each drawn around the protective boot and fastened to itself and to said fastening means.

Abstract: A protective hood, such as a firefighter's hood, has an upper head-covering section, an anterior head-covering section having a window, through which portions of a wearer's face are exposed, a posterior-head covering section, and a lower shoulder-covering section. The anterior head-covering section is made from comparatively heavier, thermally insulative material, whereas the upper head-covering section and the other sections, or a selected one of the other sections, are made from similar, comparatively lighter material, such as mesh or netting, whereby to allow heat to pass readily through those sections made from comparatively lighter material.

Abstract: For a person, such as a firefighter, a rescue worker, or a chemical or laboratory worker, who is preparing to work in a hazardous environment, a pack is prepared by providing a pouch, which is sealable so as to be fluid-tight, by packing a protective garment in the pouch, by sealing the pouch so as to be fluid-tight after the protective garment has been packed in the pouch so as to protect the protective garment against contamination before the pouch is opened, and by drawing a partial vacuum in the pouch so as to collapse the pouch against what has been packed in the pouch, when the pouch is sealed, thus not only to reduce overall bulkiness of the pack but also to provide evidence, if there is a perceptible loss of the partial vacuum, that the pouch has been tampered with or that the pouch has been opened. Other gear of diverse types may be packed with the protective garment.