DHS works with Home Office on first responder uniform

The new Base Ensemble Project, a collaboration between the United Kingdom’s Home Office and the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), aims to create a uniform that will provide emergency first responders with the protection they need.

First Responders often encounter dangers and biological hazards that most people never see, and the uniforms that are being designed by experts at S&T keep such risks in mind. A firefighter is constantly exposed to fire, extreme heat, smoke and debris, while a police officer might encounter danger from fire arms, or interact with unknown chemicals at a crime scene.

“The traditional roles of fire, law enforcement, and EMS continue to cross over into each other’s disciplines,” Steven Vandewalle a firefighter and paramedic from the San Diego Fire Department, said. “With the ‘All Hazards Preparedness’ mandates, we must all have a working knowledge of each other’s roles, responsibilities, and hazards. The base ensemble project is an attempt to provide an increased level of protection from a variety of cross-discipline hazards—if our roles continue to expand, our personal protective equipment must match the hazards.”

Feedback for the project was provided by the First Responder Resource Group, an all-volunteer group made of first responders.