Female-led company designs wildland firefighting uniforms for women
09/03/2020
Green Buffalow will soon be taking pre-orders for uniforms that address several key problems with conventional uniforms made in what’s largely a male-dominated field. According to the company, there’s no current size chart in the standard for female upper torso garments, and lower torso female sizing is “almost a mirror image of the men's lower torso size table”.
Further, restrictive design requirements cause for ill-fitting garments, they said, which can lead to chafing and bleeding.
The company has partnered with industry experts to design uniforms that will reduce heat stress and allow optimal movement.
Green Buffalow's mission is personal for its founders Summer and Korena. Summer, having a background in Apparel Technical Design and Korena's background in Business Development as well as being married to a wildland firefighter, truly brings forward a desire to create gear that would help ensure the safety of not only her spouse, but all Wildland Firefighters. Korena and Summer then embarked on a journey with the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) to approve sizing for women and create new sizing for men.
Over the last few decades, little has been done to update wildland firefighting uniforms, and Green Buffalow strongly believes it's time that changes. Green Buffalow is the only brand working closely with the NFPA to advocate for wildland firefighters and change industry standards. According to an NFPA committee member, "Everyone else has brought us problems--Green Buffalow is the only one who has brought us solutions." Green Buffalow is solving many current issues with wildland firefighting uniforms:
Green Buffalow is excited to launch its new uniforms to the public and begin equipping fire departments across the country. This overhaul in women's sizing and overall uniform safety has been a long time coming, and Green Buffalow is proud to be spearheading the effort.
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