The short answer: the move to PFAS-free turnout gear will
take most departments years, not months. Get through it by knowing every set
you own: when it was made, what the seller told you about it, who wears it,
when it was last inspected and cleaned, and when it has to retire. Then
replace the oldest gear first.
What changed
- NFPA 1970. The new consolidated standard for protective ensembles created a Restricted Substances List covering PFAS and certain flame retardants, including DBDPE. It took effect September 18, 2025. Manufacturers could keep selling existing gear until March 18, 2026.
- NFPA 1850. The 2025 edition, effective September 9, 2025, combined NFPA 1851 (turnout gear) and NFPA 1852 (SCBA). Turnout gear still retires no more than ten years from its date of manufacture, advanced inspections are required at least once a year, and even unused gear in storage needs an advanced inspection after three years.
- State laws. Massachusetts passed the first state ban on PFAS in firefighter gear in August 2024, taking effect in 2027, and has required sellers to label and disclose PFAS since January 1, 2025. Illinois, Connecticut, Vermont and Washington have added disclosure or reporting rules. Vermont requires the seller and the buyer to keep the PFAS notice for three years.
Why the label is not the end of it
In 2025, Quincy, Massachusetts sent a set of newly purchased gear, sold as
PFAS-free, for independent testing. It came back with high levels of PFAS. The
IAFF now recommends that departments do their own testing rather than rely on
manufacturer claims.
A study published in late 2025 found another problem. Some newer PFAS-free gear
contained higher levels of brominated flame retardants than older gear, likely
added to meet flammability requirements once PFAS came out. The authors warned
about "regrettable substitutions."
None of this means a department should stop buying PFAS-free gear. It means the
paperwork that comes with the gear, and your own records of what you bought,
matter more than they used to.
What the transition looks like
Attleboro, Massachusetts received its first 19 sets of PFAS-free turnout gear on
October 1, 2026, as the first phase of a full switch. The rest of its gear will
be replaced on its regular schedule. That is how most departments will do it,
and it means legacy gear and new gear will sit side by side, on the same racks,
for years.
Five steps to manage two generations of gear
1. Inventory every set by serial number
Coat, pants, hood, gloves, boots and helmet, each with its manufacturer, model,
serial number and date of manufacture. If you cannot say which sets are legacy
and which are new, nothing else on this list works.
2. Keep what the seller told you
Save the PFAS disclosure or label notice, the NFPA 1970 certification and the
purchase record with each set. In some states the law already requires the
buyer to keep the notice. If you send a set for independent testing, attach the
results to that set's record.
3. Plan replacements from retirement dates
Every set has a hard stop ten years from its date of manufacture. Sort your gear
by that date and you have a replacement schedule that puts the oldest legacy
gear first, spreads the cost across budget years, and gives you the numbers for
a grant application.
4. Keep inspections and cleaning on schedule for both generations
Legacy gear does not get a pass because it is on its way out, and new gear does
not get a pass because it is new. Annual advanced inspections apply to every set,
and spare sets sitting in storage need an advanced inspection after three years.
5. Know who wore what
Keep an assignment history for every set: which member wore it, from when to
when, and which second set they were issued. When questions about exposure come
up years from now, that record is the only answer you will have.
Where software fits
A spreadsheet can hold a gear inventory. It is much harder to keep inspections,
cleanings, repairs and assignments current in one, across every station, for ten
years. In Emergency Logs, PPE Tracking keeps
every set by serial number, size, assignment and location, with routine and
advanced inspections, ISP repair work, and alerts for annual inspections and gear
nearing end of life. Firefighters inspect their own gear from a phone, and
SCBA Tracking covers the SCBA side of
NFPA 1850 on the same login.
Sources