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Bristol Secures First Order for XFLEX Kit Featuring Gore-Tex® Moisture Barrier with the Gore® Parallon™ System

Bristol Uniforms, together with its German distributor Fritz Raschel Feuerschutz GmbH, has secured its first ever order from Vienna Airport for its lightweight and ergonomic XFlex kit, featuring the very latest GORE-TEX® Moisture barrier with the GORE® PARALLON™ System.

The GORE-TEX® Moisture barrier with the GORE® PARALLON™ System offers unparalleled levels of breathability and thermal protection, particularly when wet. It is lightweight and helps prevent dangerous increases in core body temperature, which can have an impact on performance and safety.

This sophisticated solution for combatting heat stress faired extremely well in recent trials, outperforming other leading moisture barriers on the market. Testing showed that it lost only 4% of its thermal protection when wet and displayed the lowest resistance to the evaporation of sweat.

Bristol is offering customers this ground-breaking new technology as part of its XFlex range, along with the more traditional moisture and thermal barriers.

Vienna Airport has taken delivery of over 50 sets of kit – also opting for a PBI Max™ outer shell.

Mr. Szirota from Vienna Airport said: “We put XFlex, and a number of other garments, to the test at our on-site training facility. XFlex was by far the most comfortable to wear. It felt so light and easy to move around in and we really liked the sports styling. We also travelled to the BTTG™ testing centre in Manchester to see for ourselves this fabric combination being put through its paces and the results were impressive.

“We took delivery of our new kit in mid-April and so far our firefighters have been very positive about it as it’s a big improvement on what we had before.”

Richard Cranham, International Sales Manager at Bristol Uniforms, said: “Vienna Airport is an important contract win for us and it is our first customer to opt for the new GORE-TEX® Moisture barrier with the GORE® PARALLON™ System. We were up against stiff competition but in the end, XFlex was favoured over our competitors as it was the most comfortable to wear and looked stylish. They were also impressed with the GORE-TEX® Moisture barrier GORE® PARALLON™ System we are offering as part of our range.”

Gore Associate, Suzanne Prince, said: “We are delighted that Vienna Airport has chosen the GORE-TEX® Moisture barrier with the GORE® PARALLON™ System to protect its firefighters. They will be operating with the confidence that their kit incorporates the most advanced moisture management technology available, reducing the risk of burn injury in wet and dry conditions while maintaining consistently high thermal protection and freedom of movement.”

For more information about XFLEX, please visit: www.bristoluniforms.com

For more information about GORE® PARALLON™, please visit: www.goretex.co.uk/professional/fire-and-rescue/technologies