If so, you'll know it isn't a pleasant experience. GORE® CROSSTECH® footwear fabric is not only well known throughout the fire industry for the superior level of protection it provides, but also for its undeniable durability and breathable comfort, thus leaving your boots dryer and reducing the odors left behind.
Still not sold?
1. To Reduce Firefighter Fatigue
Let's be honest, firefighting takes a lot of energy- energy that needs to come from your foundation up. Comfortable boots with proper support can alleviate muscle cramping and discomfort often caused by foot fatigue. Leather boots made with GORE® CROSSTECH® footwear fabric, like the FDXL200, are lightweight, form-fitting, and more comfortable.
2. To Protect Yourself From Fireground Liquids, Blood, And Bodily Fluids
There's no telling how many liquids you'll come across while working a scene. You've likely encountered everything from gasoline to blood to other hazardous waste. GORE® CROSSTECH® footwear fabric is the industry leader when it comes to protecting you from water, blood, bodily fluids, and common fire ground chemicals, while offering unparalleled comfort in the form of breathability. Demand more of your boots with our FDXL200s which are dual certified to NFPA 1971 & NFPA 1992.
3. To Get The Most Breathability From A Fire Boot
Did you know? Your feet can produce up to one cup of perspiration in just 12 hours!? Imagine where that perspiration would go if it didn't have a way to escape. Gross, right? That's why every layer in your fire boots needs to be highly breathable. Spend less time airing out your boots with the GORE® CROSSTECH® liner, which is tested for whole-boot breathability to ensure they stay drier inside and your feet don’t get clammy.
4. To Avoid Buying New Boots More Often Than Necessary
Fire boots go through rigorous testing to become NFPA certified. The waterproof GORE® CROSSTECH® liner offers 5X more flex resistance than what is required by the NFPA 1971 Standard to ensure the interior of the boot stays dry, so you can endure more and feel less.
5. To Reduce Fireground Contamination & Stay Healthy
Contrary to popular belief, leather boots resist contamination just as well or better than rubber boots. W. L. Gore & Associates performed a series of tests which debunked this long-standing theory. The results were surprising: leather samples were found to retain less residual chemical contamination than rubber samples following decontamination procedures. The tests were conducted using a FEMA testing protocol, which focused on chemicals that firefighters are likely to encounter in the field, including carbon disulfide (CS2), tetrachloroethylene, isooctane (gasoline), acrylonitrile, dimethylformamide (DMF), and diethyl amine.