#479 The Evolution of Structural Firefighting PPE: Reigniting a New Era with Bill Lawson and Helmut Zepf from PBI

About this episode

The episode discusses the evolution and science behind structural firefighting PPE with experts from PBI.

I sit down with Helmut Zepf, Managing Director of the PPE Division at PBI, and Bill Lawson, President of PBI, to explore what is really protecting firefighters inside their PPE. As The Firefighters Podcast begins its partnership with PBI ahead of INTERSCHUTZ 2026, this episode looks beyond the badge on the kit and into the science, history, and real-world performance behind high-performance protective fabrics. From PBI’s origins in high-temperature polymer science and NASA, through to flame r...

People in this episode

Host: Pete Wakefield

Guests: Helmut Zepf, Bill Lawson

Topics covered

• structural firefighting
• PPE
• high-performance fabrics
• firefighter safety
• fire science

Keywords

• firefighting
• PPE
• protective fabrics
• fire safety
• high-temperature polymer

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: PBI, NASA

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