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Suit Care & Hygiene
Polar Bears professional dry suits are CE marked as PPE conforming to the requirements of Council Directive 89/686/EEC. EC Type -Approval certificates have been issued, in accordance with the regulations, by EC Notified Body No. 0120.

The Company is ISO 9001:2000 registered and annually audited for compliance. Certificates of compliance are available for inspection.

Where fitted, safety boots comply with CE+ BS EN:345 and hve top cap protection of 200 joules and 15 kNewton compression, coded SB. In addition, they have mid-sole protection up to 110 Newton coded P. Fuel oil resistant outsole is also a basic requirement for safety boots.

Where fitted, reflective arm bands comply with SOLAS standards. After use suits need to be hosed clean and hung up to dry. Pay particular attention to the zip, which needs to be clean and dry before storage. It will not harm the suit to be rinsed out occasionally inside with B.V.F or a mild antiseptic such as Milton.

If heavily soiled they can be cleaned with any sort of detergent you care to put your hands in, but we suggest you avoid solvents such as thinners or white spirit.

After each use the suit should be laid flat and with the zip closed, the outside zip teeth need to be rubbed over with a beeswax stick. Occasionally the teeth need to be lubricated with a soft wax stick. Not every time the suit is used.

The seals need to be cleaned on the contact area with an antiseptic such as B.V.F.

The dried suit should be stored out of direct sunlight. Roll it up with the open zip on the outside and place it in the stuff bag provided. It can be hung up if there are facilities available but try to avoid leaving it folded for long periods. A better method of storing it hung up is with a pole through the arms supported under the arms.

We offer a range of cleaning and hygiene products developed in response to requests for effective cleaning materials.

We don’t make it a condition of service maintenance to use any of these. There are alternatives and it’s not rocket science. In cases of serious contamination the methods used in chemical suit decontamination would be relevant and equipment used for this purpose would be suitable. Effective decontamination in these circumstances is not easy to prove.

It is increasingly the policy of the Fire Service to send suits back to us for annual inspection. We will carry out any repairs required and clean and immersion tank test the suits. Again we do not make it a condition of service that you do this. Circumstances vary from area to area, but we can clean and test suits anytime if asked.

It is not practical to provide an annual estimate of costs as the suits can be adequately maintained on station. Zips, if cleaned will last many years, until something happens to break them. But then they are expensive to replace. Seals will last several years - or five minutes if handled roughly.

We can provide training courses in suit care and, if required, suit repair. Many brigades send two or three staff on a course which will provide a cost effective solution to suit care and maintenance issues. It might be regarded as valuable in as much as it ensures there is always a competent person available to assess suit condition with regard to any issues that might arise from your obligation to maintain PPE. They will also gain a good insight into dry suit types and what is available.