The Virtual Sizer has been out in the real world for a while now, so we thought it was time to take a 30,000-foot view and consider how this technology has performed in the field. 

In 2025, Fire-Dex unleashed a revolutionary evolution in turnout sizing technology.

The Virtual Sizer entered a space that had remained largely unchanged for decades, where fabric tape measures and human error were relied upon to capture accurate measurements as consistently as possible.

Knowing there had to be a better way, Fire-Dex set out to streamline the sizing process, saving valuable time without sacrificing accuracy. Designed for both ease and safety, the Virtual Sizer combines mechanical precision with the human touch, bringing a new level of efficiency and consistency to achieving the right fit.

This is where science meets sizing, using AI-driven algorithms, and simple questions like height, weight, and shoe size to accurately capture measurements without ever pulling out a tape measure.

“The technology is backed by over 150 million AI-generated digital twins and validated through extensive firefighter-specific data,” says Fire-Dex's VP of Product and Innovation, Todd Herring. “It’s precise, tested and constantly improving with every use, meaning the more firefighters use it, the smarter and more accurate it becomes.”

Why Fire-Dex Developed the Virtual Sizer

Traditional Turnout Sizing 

Fitting and being fitted for turnouts can be a laborious process. If everything goes off without a hitch, sizing a department of 20 firefighters can take two separate trips of over 3 hours of work, not including fitter travel time. Unfortunately, even this mountain of effort doesn’t always guarantee a good fit.

In a blind sizing comparison conducted by Fire-Dex, nine highly experienced sizers took the measurements of two different firefighters without knowing that the other sizers were involved. The results were clear: each firefighter received sizing that ranged from one to four inches in difference.

The purpose of the Virtual Sizer is not to remove human touch from the sizing process, but to increase human capacity by providing faster fittings and less variable results. According to Herring, this technology has been undergoing diagnostics for some time. “We've actually been testing and refining this technology internally for over five years to ensure accuracy before making it widely available,” he says. “The human touch still matters, but the Virtual Sizer can back it up with data-driven precision to help nail the fit every time.”

And nailing the fit is not just about convenience. It's ultimately about firefighter safety.

Why Turnout Gear Fit Matters for Firefighter Safety 

When it comes to turnout gear, a good fit is not just for comfort. Turnout gear is essentially a coat of armor and some of the only protection you have on the fireground. If there are gaps in your armor, the results could be detrimental.

Ill-fitting gear can lead to increased carcinogen exposure or even burns and increased heat stress. Further, if gear is too tight or too loose, it could result in restricted range of motion. This could prevent you from doing what you need to do on the fireground, putting you and potential victims in danger.

This is where the Virtual Sizer fills the gap. Not only does the Virtual Sizer reduce labor and time costs, but it also utilizes algorithmic formulas to decrease the chance of subjectivity in measuring. This ultimately allows for a greater level of safety, simply because turnouts are sized more consistently and accurately.

How the Virtual Sizer Works

The process is relatively simple. By inputting some basic information (height, weight, shoe size, etc.) into Fire-Dex's FireWriter program, a unique size is generated within the quote. This process can be completed with a professional fitter in person, or virtually with your distributor through your department. From there, the process is the same as it’s always been.

In comparison, traditional sizing is much more time-consuming. Fitters are required to make several special trips to the department being sized, which can be incredibly time-consuming, as some departments can be located hours away from their local distributor. Then sizers must measure each firefighter individually, which takes approximately 10 minutes per member. Whether you have a department of 5 or 25, this time strain can accumulate quickly.

Benefits of the Virtual Sizer

Using the Virtual Sizer won’t be a huge change for firefighters. While it will save time and effort during the fitting process, the real benefit for firefighters lies mostly with the results: Well-fitting gear, every time.

There are a lot of ways that distributors can benefit from using the Virtual Sizer. As mentioned above, this technology will reduce the strain placed on your team, while increasing their accuracy and speed, allowing valuable time for more sales calls.

For Fire-Dex, the Virtual Sizer isn’t just a flashy new technology, it's a way to prove our dedication. By improving the sizing process, we can better ensure that the gear we produce is top-notch. From every pair of pants to each individual jacket, the Fire-Dex family has your back.

Real-World Results from Fire Departments & Distributors

Distributor Feedback on the Virtual Sizer

But what do real people actually think of the Virtual Sizer? Fire-Dex wanted to know too! So, we reached out to our distributors and to the firefighters they service, asking for feedback. The results were clear: The Virtual Sizer is impressive in its sizing, time savings, and convenience.

From Fire-Dex's team of expert distributors, it was apparent that the Virtual Sizer is a huge time saver. According to C.W. Williams distributor Jay Alley, covering large territories can be taxing, to say the least. “Some of my departments that I'll go to are three and a half hours away,” says Alley. “So, to go back to measure one set a year, I was spending seven hours driving time.” Fellow distributor Damian Owens echoed Alley’s statement, saying, “Virtual Sizer is a time saver, eliminating the need to drive for several hours just to size two to three firefighters.”

But the Virtual Sizer isn’t just about not having to travel or size in-person anymore. Some of our distributors explain that, when they use the Virtual Sizer, they do so in person, alongside traditional sizing methods, or to help firefighters input accurate information into the Virtual Sizer. If distributors can’t physically meet with a crew or if some crew members don’t make the sizing, the Virtual Sizer can fill in the gap.

According to Justin Schack with Heiman Fire Equipment, Inc., the Virtual Sizer is really helpful when he can’t physically size someone. “My biggest thing,” he says, “is if I can't be with the person, to size [them], say with the rest of the group or something like that, that's where it's really coming in handy for me.” Schack also uses the Virtual Sizer to help him in hard-to-reach places. He says, “I'm using it for a nuclear power plant because they work weird hours at the plant. So, I just use Virtual Sizer for them. It's for their fire brigade. So, those guys are just kind of in it for training and if there's ever an incident at the plant, which is pretty rare. They use the Virtual Sizer all the time.”

However, these distributors weren’t so sure at first.

Each of these individuals admits to feeling skeptical about the Virtual Sizer when it first arrived on the sizing scene. Alley says, “I didn't want it. I felt like using sizing sets that I had a really good success rate. I mean, occasionally, I would be off, but all things considered, uh, I really was skeptical that it truly would work.” And he wasn’t alone.

“[I was] highly skeptical,” says DiVal dealer representative Joe Mautz. “But also excited. The new technology sometimes is hard to absorb. But I embraced it and I said ‘well it's the future. I'll give it a shot.’”

It took some time, but the Virtual Sizer proved to be both easy and accurate.

“I was shocked really,” says Mautz. “It was spot on. You know, a lot of my team now use it 100%.”

“I can say, right now, I probably have put well over 600 firefighters into gear through the Virtual Sizer,” Alley says. “And so far, I've had two sets that had any problems whatsoever.” Some quick math will show that this is a >99.99% success rate—which is genuinely astonishing, even when compared against traditional sizing methods.

Mautz confirms the numbers, noting that his personal success rate is roughly 99.95%. He goes on to say that “The overall success that I tell my team now is, we're at like 98% overall. Which is pretty good, as long as people are being honest.”

And the Virtual Sizer is only getting more accurate the more it is used.

“It makes it a lot easier on me and the team to get everyone done in a more efficient manner,” Mautz says.

Alley confirms this sentiment, saying, “I don't know why anybody wouldn't want to use the Virtual Sizer. It just makes our life—our job—much easier. Because I mean to me, it just seems like it's almost a no-brainer.”

How Firefighters Are Responding 

When speaking with firefighters who had experience with the Virtual Sizer, their opinion was apparent: they were impressed by its delivery and hopeful for the options it will provide in the future.

Chief Rob Grady of Gary, Indiana says his department wasn’t sure about the Virtual Sizer at first. “My guys were kind of skeptical at first too when we said, ‘Hey, we're going to do this virtually’, and they were asking questions. And then when the bunker gear came in, Fire-Dex said, ‘If anything doesn't fit, we will take care of any problems that we have.’ And every single set of bunker gear that came in fit. Not one issue.” He continues, “All 50 sets of bunker gear that my guys were sized for virtually fit them perfect. And then, several of my guys say, ‘hey, man, my bunker gear fits me better than any set of bunker gear I've ever had.’”

Brandon Krajeski of Omaha Fire says they had specific hopes for the Virtual Sizer. “One of the goals that we had with it was to help with female sizing. It's kind of the new hot topic button in the fire service and obviously it's something that's probably been ignored for a little while. And we're definitely moving the needle forward. We were looking for it to help us initially figure out which style, which cut, would fit our female recruits or candidates, or whoever is being sized, best.”

Keith James, Memphis Fire Division Chief of Logistical Services, praises the Virtual Sizer for its ability to help size recruits who aren’t local. He says, “One of our biggest challenges has been sizing firefighters from out of town, from areas where we’ve built strong recruiting partnerships. It can be difficult for them to fly or drive in just for processing and fittings, especially when we’re trying to get gear ordered quickly, so it arrives during class.” Chief James mentions they were able to virtually size 25-30 out-of-state recruits successfully. “We tested it first with a few people locally and found the output matched our sizing. That gave us the comfort level to roll it out further,” he explained. “Everything turned out well, and we didn’t need to rework or resize anything. It was very easy to implement.”

And these examples are just some of many.

The Future of AI-Powered Firefighter Gear Sizing 

In conclusion, the Virtual Sizer is more than a flashy new technology: it is a revolution to the sizing process, designed to fill gaps in proper fit.

And this isn’t the end. Because of the type of algorithms we chose when designing it, the more the Virtual Sizer is used, the more accurate it will become. This constant improvement means there will be no lag in the technology—only growth that better serves those who serve.

But the feedback from those using the technology says it best: The Virtual Sizer is delivering a new standard of fit, helping firefighters get gear that feels right, performs better, and is ready for the job ahead.