Abstract: A helmet for a firefighter or for an industrial, chemical, or emergency rescue worker has a crown and a brim projecting forwardly from the crown. The helmet is equipped with a pair of eye shields, each of which is mounted to the helmet, each of which is adapted to be manually moved between a storage position and a usage position, and each of which in the usage position, but not in the storage position, projects downwardly so as to shield an associated one of the eyes of a wearer. The helmet is equipped with a pair of face-conformable gaskets, each of which is disposed along an outer edge of an associated one of the pair of eye shields and which is adapted to conform to the face of a wearer when the associated one of the pair of eye shields is moved into the usage position.

Abstract: A protective garment for a firefighter or for an emergency rescue worker is equipped with a drag harness and with a litter, which, when not deployed, is stored within a pocket of the garment and wherein the drag harness and the litter, when deployed, facilitate carrying a wearer. A back-covering portion of the protective garment has the pocket, which is located where the back-covering portion covers a lower region of the back of a wearer. The drag harness has two arm loops and a drag grip, which is attached to the arm loops and which extends outwardly through apertures in an upper region of the back-covering portion. The litter has two, flexible, longitudinal members, each of which is attached to one of the arm loops of the drag harness, and multiple, flexible, transverse members, which extend between the longitudinal members, outside the pocket, when the litter is deployed.

Abstract: A protective garment conforming to NFPA standards is combined with a measuring scale, which is displayed along a portion of the protective garment, such a sleeve, body, or leg, so as to facilitate taking a measurement, while the protective garment is being worn by a person. In a preferred mode for carrying out this invention, the measuring scale facilitates taking a measurement, while the garment of the combination is being worn by each person in a series of persons, to facilitate tailoring a similar garment for each person in the series of persons. In an alternative mode for carrying out this invention, the measuring scale facilitates taking a measurement, while the garment of the combination is being worn by just one person, to facilitate tailoring the garment of the combination to fit such one person.

Abstract: In a pair of protective trousers having a fly, in which a flap extending from a first edge of a torso-covering portion covers a second edge thereof in a closed condition of the fly but not in an opened condition of the fly and in which the first and second edges are secured releasably to each other, as by a hook-and-loop fastener, in the closed condition, a gusset extends along and between the first and second edges, in the opened and closed conditions.

Abstract: In a protective garment comprising an outer shell, wherein a reflective, fluorescent, or vision-enhancing strip is sewn to the outer shell on a generally tubular portion of the protective garment so that one end of the reflective, fluorescent, or vision-enhancing strip overlaps and is sewn to an opposite end of the reflective, fluorescent, or vision-enhancing strip, a protective strip, which covers the seam of the reflective, fluorescent, or vision-enhancing strip and which covers the end that overlaps and is sewn to the opposite end of the reflective, fluorescent, or vision-enhancing strip, is sewn to the outer shell and to the reflective, fluorescent, or vision-enhancing strip. The protective strip-is-made from a wear-resistant fabric.

Abstract: In a protective glove for a firefighter, an emergency rescue worker, or another worker in a high-heat area, a leather face has a peripheral edge, a leather back has a peripheral edge, a leather forchette has a peripheral edge sewn to the peripheral edge of the leather face and a peripheral edge sewn to the peripheral edge of the leather back, and a heat-resistant cover made from an aramid or polybenzamidazole fabric has a peripheral edge sewn to the peripheral edge of the leather back. The heat-resistant cover covers the leather back so as to protect the leather back against direct exposure to high heat that would tend to shrink the leather back if the leather back were not protected by the heat-resistant cover.

Abstract: For a military or paramilitary firefighter or emergency worker, a protective garment has an outer shell, an inner liner providing thermal insulation, and a moisture barrier between the outer shell and the inner liner. The outer shell has a surface of high visibility and a surface of low visibility and is reversible. The outer shell has reflective trim on the surface of high visibility but not on the surface of low visibility. The inner liner and the moisture barrier are attachable detachably to the outer shell so as to be wearable within whichever surface becomes an inner surface of the outer shell. The protective garment with the surface of high visibility facing outwardly and with the inner liner and the moisture barrier worn within the outer shell conforms to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1971 standard for “Protective Clothing for Structural Fire Fighting.

Abstract: Being reversible, a protective garment for a military or paramilitary firefighter or emergency worker has a shell of high visibility and a shell of low visibility. The shell of high visibility has portions that are reflective, fluorescent, or both, which the shell of low visibility does not have. When facing outwardly, the shell of low visibility appears black, or at least dark, in ambient light or displays camouflage. Except that the shell of low visibility does not have any reflective or fluorescent portions, the shells conform to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards for outer shells of protective garments for firefighters. The shells are equal, or at least similar, in basis weights.

Abstract: For and in a protective garment having an outer shell, a liner having a barrier side and an opposite side and having, on the barrier side, a moisture barrier or a barrier against chemical or biological agents is folded along two folds, which are parallel when laid flat and straightened, so as to form a fin projecting from the opposite side. A seal providing a similar barrier is provided between the folds. A plural-part fastener, such as a snap fastener or a hook-and-loop fastener, is used to fasten the liner having the barrier to and within the outer shell. One part of the plural-part fastener is mounted to the liner and another part of the plural-part fastener is mounted to the outer shell.

Abstract: A thermal imaging camera, which is mounted to a protective helmet, is used with a display, which has a viewing lens, and with an arm, which connects the thermal imaging camera to the display. A protective shroud covers the display, except for the viewing lens, and covers the arm. The protective shroud, which is aluminized so as to be heat-reflective and which is thermally insulative, is attached to or is unitary with another protective shroud, which covers surfaces of the thermal imaging camera.

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: A protective item for a firefighter or for an emergency rescue worker has an outer shell, which is opaque to hazardous radiation, and an inner liner, which has an outer layer providing a moisture and chemical barrier and an inner layer providing thermal insulation. The protective item may be a protective garment, such as a protective coat, protective trousers, protective overalls, or protective coveralls, a protective glove, or an item of protective footwear, such as a protective boot.

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 comprises an outer shell, which provides abrasion resistance and puncture resistance, a thermal liner, and a liner including a moisture barrier. Each liner being adapted to be separately and detachably attached to and within the outer shell. The garment is adapted to be selectively configured with neither said liner so attached or with the thermal liner so attached, for a firefighter fighting a wildland fire, with both said liners so attached, for a firefighter fighting a structural fire, or with the liner including the moisture barrier so attached, for a firefighter engaging in a technical rescue.