Abstract: In a protective hood having an upper head-covering section, an anterior head-covering section, a posterior head-covering section, and a lower neck-covering and shoulder-covering section, the lower neck-covering and shoulder-covering section differs from each of the other sections in abrasion resistance properties, thermal insulation properties, and moisture barrier properties, or one or two of those properties. Preferably, the lower neck-covering and shoulder-covering section has plural layers, which include an outer abrasion-resistant layer, an intermediate thermally insulative layer, and an inner moisture barrier layer.

Abstract: In a protective combination wearable by a firefighter or by an emergency worker, a face mask has a face-conformable gasket defining an outwardly opening trough. Further, a protective garment has a hood, which has a peripheral edge and which defines a tubular hem along the peripheral edge. Moreover, an inflatable tube, which extends through the tubular hem, is adapted to form a seal between the face-conformable gasket and the peripheral edge of the hood, when inflated so as to press the tubular hem along the peripheral edge of the hood into the outwardly opening trough, whereby to provide a seal between the face mask and the hood.

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: 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 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 protective hood is adapted to cover the wearer's head, except for a frontal region of the wearer's head. The fitment is attached to the protective hood so as to situate the fitment below the frontal region of the wearer's head. The head harness is attached to the face mask so as to secure the face mask to the wearer's head, over the frontal region of the wearer's head. The fitment is attached detachably to the protective hood and to the face mask. In a preferred embodiment, the fitment is a regulator of a self-contained breathing apparatus. In an alternative embodiment, the fitment is a respirator, to which an air filter is attached.

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, heat-reflective 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: 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 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 protective hood is adapted to cover the wearer's head, except for a frontal region of the wearer's head. The fitment is attached to the protective hood so as to situate the fitment below the frontal region of the wearer's head. The head harness is attached to the face mask so as to secure the face mask to the wearer's head, over the frontal region of the wearer's head. The fitment is attached detachably to the protective hood and to the face mask. In a preferred embodiment, the fitment is a regulator of a self-contained breathing apparatus. In an alternative embodiment, the fitment is a respirator, to which an air filter is attached.

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: For a firefighter, a combination of protective gear comprises a face mask, a head harness, and a protective hood adapted to cover the wearer's head, except for at least a portion of the wearer's face, and to cover an outer perimeter of a window portion of the face mask. The protective hood is attached to the head harness, preferably to flexible straps of the head harness, so that the protective hood is attachable to the face mask, along with the head harness, and so the protective hood is detachable from the window portion, along with the head harness. The protective hood is attached thereto via stitches or is attached thereto detachably, as via snap fasteners or hook-and-loop fasteners.

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, heat-reflective 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: A protective garment, such as a protective coat or protective coveralls, for a firefighter or for an emergency worker is provided with a shoulder pad, which is worn between the protective coat and a shoulder of a wearer. The shoulder pad is attached detachably, as by a hook-and-loop fastener, to a shoulder strap of suspenders worn by the wearer or to the protective garment. The shoulder pad contains a bladder, which is adapted to be inflated with a suitable fluid, preferably air, so to increase an air space between the protective coat and the shoulder of the wearer. The air space provides thermal insulation between the protective garment and the shoulder of the wearer.

Abstract: In a coat and harness combination for an emergency care worker, for a rescue worker, or for a firefighter, in which the coat has a thigh strap pocket and two side pockets and the harness has two thigh straps, each thigh strap having a first end, at which it is attached permanently to other portions of the harness, and a second end, at which it is attachable detachably to other portions of the harness, via a connector on such thigh strap and an interfitting connector, which is stowable in one of the side pockets when such thigh strap is not attached at its second end. While not attached at their second ends, the thigh straps are stowable removably in the thigh strap pocket. The coat has a flap having a first edge and a second edge, the flap being foldable along the first edge to close the thigh strap pocket and to open the thigh strap pocket, the second edge being attachable detachably to a rear portion of the coat, via hook-and-loop fasteners.

Abstract: A composite structure for a protective garment, such as a pair of bunker pants for a firefighter, a bunker coat for a firefighter, or a glove for a firefighter, has a moisture absorber, a moisture barrier covering the moisture absorber, and an outer shell covering the moisture barrier. The moisture absorber has a fibrous matrix incorporating a superabsorbent polymer, as particles or as fibers, and is disposed between an inner cover pervious to moisture and an outer cover. The inner and outer covers may be quilted so as to segregate discrete regions of the fibrous matrix. In one contemplated embodiment, the moisture barrier is affixed to the outer shell so as to have surface-to-surface adhesion between an outer surface of the moisture barrier and an inner surface of the outer shell.

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: In a coat and harness combination for an emergency care worker, for a rescue worker, or for a firefighter, in which the coat has a thigh strap pocket and two side pockets and the harness has two thigh straps, each thigh strap having a first end, at which it is attached permanently to other portions of the harness, and a second end, at which it is attachable detachably to other portions of the harness, via a connector on such thigh strap and an interfitting connector, which is stowable in one of the side pockets when such thigh strap is not attached at its second end. While not attached at their second ends, the thigh straps are stowable removably in the thigh strap pocket. The coat has a flap having a first edge and a second edge, the flap being foldable along the first edge to close the thigh strap pocket and to open the thigh strap pocket, the second edge being attachable detachably to a rear portion of the coat, via hook-and-loop fasteners.

Abstract: A pair of protective pants, such as firefighter's pants or rescue provider's pants, has an upper portion, which when covers a lower region of a wearer's torso, and two leg portions, each of which when worn covers one of the wearer's legs. Each leg portion has an upper region, which extends downwardly from the upper portion, and a lower region, which extends upwardly from a lower end of such leg portion toward the upper region and which terminates not higher than where such leg portion when worn covers the wearer's knee. The pair of protective pants, at the lower region of each leg portion but not elsewhere, has an outer layer of puncture-resistant material.

Abstract: In a protective hood having an upper head-covering section, an anterior head-covering section, a posterior head-covering section, and a lower neck-covering and shoulder-covering section, the lower neck-covering and shoulder-covering section differs from each of the other sections in abrasion resistance properties, thermal insulation properties, and moisture barrier properties, or one or two of those properties. Preferably, the lower neck-covering and shoulder-covering section has plural layers, which include an outer abrasion-resistant layer, an intermediate thermally insulative layer, and an inner moisture barrier layer.

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.