Firefighters rely on a variety of personal protective equipment to ensure their safety as they serve the community and save lives. Gloves, boots, and helmets may come to mind, but firefighter PPE is not complete without appropriate eye protection. Fire goggles protect a firefighter’s eyes from heat exposure, smoke, flying debris, glass, dust, and wind, which can be present in a number of emergency situations, from car accidents to house fires and medical emergencies.
Eye Damage That Could Be Prevented
In 2008, 80,000 firefighters were injured on the job. While sprains, strains, and muscle injuries account for many of those, there were about 4,000 eye injuries, which added up to direct and indirect costs of $18 million. The American Academy of Ophthalmology says about 90% of all eye injuries could be prevented if people wore proper eye protection—which would mean 3,600 of those firefighter eye injuries could have been avoided, saving time, money, and heartache for both the individual and the fire station.
For firefighters, preventing eye injuries means using face shields and safety glasses or goggles. Losing your vision could mean losing your career, and it takes the brain a long time to adjust to partial vision loss—which has implications far beyond the job site. Adapting to partial vision loss can take even longer than complete vision loss, as the brain struggles to understand the input it’s receiving through your compromised eyes. In general, the older a person is, the longer it takes to adjust; however, it will be about three years before a person gets used to having one eye.
The mental, emotional, and financial costs of that are staggering, which is why it’s essential for a firefighter—and anyone else, for that matter—to take every precaution in situations where their eyes may be at risk.
What Are Common Types of Fire Control PPE Goggles?
Paulson Manufacturing produces several types of eye protection according to NFPA standards and regulations. These products are designed to protect firefighters without hindering their work.
- A-TAC® Firefighter Structural Series: With six models to choose from, this series can withstand extreme temperatures (up to 500° F) for more than five minutes. They offer fog resistance combined with a hard-coated outer lens, and all models meet ANSI Z87.1 standards along with NFPA 1971, 1977, and 1951 performance standards. Different models offer the choice of elastic or silicone straps, nose guards, and more.
- A-TAC® Firefighter Wildland Series: Designed for woodland firefighters, these models serve in temperatures of 350° F while meeting NFPA 1977 and ANSI Z87.1 standards. Like the Structural Series, they offer fog resistance and a hard-coated outer lens.
Paulson Manufacturing also produces accessories, replacement lenses and straps, and infectious disease control (IDC) goggles to protect first responders from exposure to pathogens. They’re affordable and disposable, and serve to protect the wearer from liquids that may splash in their eyes as well as smoke and airborne particles.
Why Paulson Is an Industry Leader in Fire Control PPE
We understand what’s at stake. Our mission is nothing less than to provide the highest quality safety and protective gear to help firefighters and other emergency responders do their jobs as safely as possible. Your trust and confidence in us means everything, and we work to maintain that trust.
Our wide range of fire goggles, face shields, and protective accessories meet NFPA regulations, which means they offer adequate protection while allowing firefighters to perform their job duties without hindrance. We offer options to ensure you find the solution that best matches your application.
With more than 70 years of industry experience, Paulson Manufacturing has established itself as a trusted developer, manufacturer, and distributor of fire goggles and more. All of our products are tested and certified before reaching our customers around the world. We’re committed to ongoing innovation, so that we may always provide the most comfortable, most effective safety solutions using the latest technology and materials available.
Contact us to learn more about firefighter PPE and how we serve the fire, medical, industrial, tactical, and arc flash industries with protective equipment specifically designed to match the hazards these workers face on the job.