Derek Currao is an instructor in fire service training for Mission CIT (Critical Immersive Training) and has been a firefighter in Bridgeport, Connecticut for the past twelve years.  

In the beginning of 2025, Derek received a set of Fire-Dex’s bold new line of turnout gear, AeroFlex. He put the gear to the test right away and credits it with saving his life. 

One day, Derek explains, his department was called on a bad structural fire. It was a windy day, and he ended up searching upstairs in front of the handline. “The wind shifted,” he says, “and started blowing back into the building and pushing the fire right up over on top of me.”  

For a good 10 seconds, Derek was caught in that position, experiencing direct flame impingement to the right side of his back and shoulder.  

Thankfully, Derek was able to get down. When he got back to the firehouse and looked in the mirror, he was shocked. “No blisters. No burns. No red marks.” While his AeroFlex turnout coat had experienced some significant burn damage, Derek had no damage to his body. Derek deeply believes the AeroFlex design was solely responsible for his safety. “I firmly believe that if it weren't for this gear, I would have been in the burn unit.”  

Derek has worn lots of different gear over the span of his career, and saying he’s impressed with Fire-Dex is an understatement. “In my time in the fire service and teaching in the fire service, I've pretty much worn every brand of gear. I can't say enough good stuff about the Aero Flex design.”  

Derek says firefighters have reached out to him to ask about his AeroFlex turnouts, questioning whether the air vents in the side panels, made to enhance breathability, would actually provide protection during a fire. The vents in AeroFlex allow hot air to escape from inside turnout gear but still prevent heat and particulates from entering.  

Derek says he’s not glad to have been through his experience in the direct flames, but he is glad he can answer these kinds of questions with confidence. “It protected me,” says, Derek. “It did its job.”  

More than just offering protection, Derek attests to the comfort and mobility that his AeroFlex turnouts provide him. “Just the overall comfort, on top of the durability and the protection it offers. In a good fire it’s second to none. To me, it's just the most comfortable gear I've worn—hands down.”  

He says that kneeling and climbing are much more ergonomic in his AeroFlex gear. Often, Derek explains, the legs of bunker pants are too bulky to allow for easy climbing. But with AeroFlex he can move with ease, saying that  “AeroFlex definitely gives you a lot more mobility and dexterity on the fire ground.”    

Derek’s story shows that breathability and protection  can coexist safely and effectively.  

He understands and recognizes that the only goal of most turnout gear is to protect from flames, but that sacrifice of breathability can cause other problems. “I really think that you (Fire-Dex) figured out a way to balance the protection while allowing the gear to breathe,” says Derek. “There's a lot of gear out there that is like a suit of armor. You could light yourself on fire and it can protect you, but your operational time is diminished because it's like a giant sauna inside.” Derek says his AeroFlex turnouts allow him to work harder for a longer period of time while helping his body recover in the moment.  

Overall, Derek sums up his experience with AeroFlex this way: “The less trips I can take to burn unit, the better.”