The Parachute

By: Adam Meza

Let me tell you a story; when I was a boy my Parents used to buy me a very popular brand of denim jeans. These jeans were designed to fit you just right after they shrunk. My Mother was a scientist when it came to shrinking jeans just right. She would fill up the bathtub with cold water and had me sit in the tub wearing my jeans until they shrank to the perfect fit. Sometimes it worked perfectly. Sometimes, not so much, mind you I liked to eat as a Boy, and still do. Of course, that was some time ago and now that very popular denim jeans manufacture preshrinks all their fabrics. All that to say that fabric is at its best when it is preshrunk before used in a garment. Aside from my jean story I will also add that high-quality fabric is recommended to make a high-quality garment. Lastly, FR/AR fabric needs to be spot on when it comes to the chemistry. No one should be adding a “pinch” or a “handful” of something when making AR/FR fabric.

Today, in the age of the internet, it is very important for one to do their due diligence when it comes to FR/AR fabric used in Arc Flash PPE. There are some nameless manufacturers pumping out fabric of questionable quality because they have no name to build, defend, or establish. Relying on a nameless unknown purveyor for a lifesaving fabric is troublesome.

Much like a parachute, Arc Flash PPE is literally the last line of defense or the last resort. One is relying on that parachute for their life. Picture yourself at 35,000 feet, your plane is going down and someone hands you a parachute. The last thing you want to hear before you put that parachute on and jump from the plane is, “I got a great deal on this parachute, the fabric was rrreeeaal cheap!”.

For all of these reasons, since day one Enespro has used only Made in the USA branded fabrics because fabrics are the backbone of arc flash PPE. This includes high quality fabric brands such as Westex UltraSoft, Nomex, and DRIFIRE. Enespro PPE uses a combination of high-quality fabrics to make a more dynamic garment. Why? Because safety professionals across the country asked for arc flash PPE that workers won’t complain about wearing. By utilizing fabric systems that optimize the lightest weights without sacrificing arc flash performance, workers can have the best of both worlds- comfort and protection. In addition, the ActiveCool^TM Venting underarm system provides 5 times more airflow and 3 times more stretch to make it easier to move around to get a variety of different jobs done more comfortably. Finally, our anti-microbial FR/AR fabric liners in the hoods, collars, and shrouds do an excellent job to control odor.

Enespro PPE brings to market a combination of advanced fabrics to build an innovative Arc Flash PPE garment system. One day fate just might pull that rip cord on your last line of defense or the last resort. If that time ever comes rest assured that Enespro PPE will be there to soften the landing.