Whanganui manufacturer Pacific Helmets completes development for new helmets to protect firefighters from carcinogens

Sam Milson and Lee-Anne Glanville-Rothman from Pacific Helmets with the new F20 and F18 Haloflex helmets. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui helmet manufacturer Pacific Helmets has improved safety and comfort for firefighters with its new range.

The F18 and F20 Haloflex helmets are a product of three years of development by the company, which sells to around 45 countries each year.

Technical design manager Sam Milsom said the main point of development for the helmets had been a change in internal components to better protect firefighters from carcinogens.

He said it was part of a drive by fire departments around the world to effectively decontaminate firefighters from any potentially dangerous chemicals they may have come into contact with.

Sales development manager Lee-Anne Glanville-Rothman said traditionally firefighters’ helmets were made with mostly fabric internals which were difficult to disassemble and could absorb chemicals if left unclean.

“One of the reasons firefighters haven’t cleaned the internals is how difficult those textiles are to get out, they’re quite tricky, they’re really finicky ... and they need to have their helmet available if they get called out to another call.”

To make cleaning more convenient, Milsom said the suspension system and internals of the helmet had been replaced by what Pacific called the Haloflex system, which allowed them to be taken apart more easily for cleaning once firefighters returned to the station while still protecting the wearers’ heads.

With a set of spare parts available to swap out, Milsom estimated the new helmets could be taken apart, cleaned, reassembled and back in service in around 15 minutes.

The design of the foam padding on the inside of the helmet took 1.5 years to develop to make sure it was durable and chemical-free.

“A big part of the R&D team’s development was researching closed-cell foam so that we could make sure the products we were putting in don’t absorb carcinogens or won’t hold on to them,” Glanville-Rothman said.

She said it was also key for the R&D team to make sure the helmet required no tools to deconstruct.

Other changes to the helmet include making it lighter than the previous generations, and particular focus was put on the weight distribution to make sure it was comfortable to wear.

“Firefighters around the world are always looking to make the helmets more comfortable,” Milsom said.

The inside of the F20 firefighter's helmet developed by Pacific Helmets. Photo / Bevan Conley

The F20 will be sold in New Zealand, Australia and Europe while the F18 is being sold in North America.

While both featured the Haloflex system, Milsom said the F18 has a different design due to American firefighters, particularly on the east coast, preferring the traditional design.

“That’s what their grand-daddy wore, they wore a leather version of that helmet, and that’s the reason it’s got these ribs in it because that’s where the seams where they stitched the leather together was,” he said.

Glanville-Rothman said some Americans still chose to wear leather helmets, which could weigh up to 6kg, whereas Pacific’s construction was significantly lighter.

All of the components for the helmets were designed and produced locally, with fellow Whanganui manufacturer Axiam Plastics making the injection moulds.

Glanville-Rothman said after Covid spread around the world, Pacific changed how it operated to produce as much as it could locally in case of supply chain disruptions.

“You have a finger on the pulse of the supply chain and you also can build really strong relationships.

“You can make sure there’s good communication and you’re not just hoping that the supplier on the other end of the world is manufacturing as you need it to be,” she said.

The pandemic caused a similar effect in international markets Pacific normally sells to, with customers preferring to support local businesses rather than go off-shore.

This and a wet summer meant it had been an interesting year for the company, Glanville-Rothman said.

“We’ve had a lot of inquiries coming from all over the world but our normal markets like California and parts of the United States, as well as Australia, have been particularly quiet because it’s been very wet.”

As a result, the company was currently looking at different ways to re-establish and market itself in those areas.

“There are certain markets that, instead of offering the full customisation we offer to New Zealand and Australia, we’re going to go ‘this is a standard set product’ and we can help turn around products quicker and offer them to market,” she said.

The F20 has already been tested and certified for use in New Zealand and Australia, while the F18 has gone through certification in England and the United States.

Last year the concepts for the helmets were shown at Interschutz, a leading exhibition for rescue, fire prevention, disaster relief, safety and security in Germany.

The F18 will debut in America at the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis on April 27.

The F20 will be put on the international market on the same day.

Milsom said they would use the Haloflex system as a base for future helmets in different industries.