ELBECO FR station wear becomes first in the industry to achieve NFPA-1975-2009 Certification

READING, PA – APRIL 24, 2009 – Elbeco Incorporated announced today that its line of NOMEX IIIA shirts and trousers are the first in the country to achieve certification to NFPA newest station wear standard; NFPA 1975-2009.

“We are proud that our continuing commitment to design and assembly in our ISO-certified plants has enabled us to offer our customers protective apparel that is certified to the newest standard available from the NFPA”, stated David Lurio President of Elbeco. “We take our commitment to protective apparel seriously. When we acquired Transcon Manufacturing in 2005, we were able to provide to our customers FR product solutions. Today’s achievement shows that we have become a leader in the industry.”

David Storhaug, Elbeco’s Director of New Product Development, added that the company “continues to set the standard for Fire and public safety uniforms. As soon as we heard of the new standard, we wanted to be the first to show that we could meet the rigorous criteria for NFPA-certified station wear. In less than a year, we have demonstrated our ability to respond to our customers’ needs in three significant ways: we revolutionized women’s fit through our Ladies choice design; we created the industry’s best fitting trouser through innovative fabric-waistband combinations, without embarrassing shortcut contraptions, in our DutyMaxx and Prestige lines; and now we are introducing the first FR line certified to the newest NFPA standards available.”

Elbeco Incorporated has been manufacturing uniforms for Police, Fire, EMS, Postal, Tactical, and Transportation personnel for over 100 years. With over 400 union-represented associates, the company is America’s premier and largest manufacturer of union-made uniforms for public safety, supplying over 17,000 agencies across the U.S. Elbeco services the uniform needs of this professional community through its network of over 500 authorized dealers in the U.S. and Canada. In 2005, Elbeco acquired Transcon Manufacturing to service its customers’ growing needs for FR, tactical, and protective uniforms. The majority of Elbeco uniforms are manufactured in the U.S. at facilities in Reading and Frackville, Pennsylvania, Warsaw, Missouri, and Los Angeles, California. Elbeco is also proud to be part of the SweatFree Coalition, a group working toward ending unfair labor practices at home and abroad. Additional information about Elbeco Incorporated and its products can be found at www.elbeco.com. Additional information about the SweatFree Coalition can be found at www.sweatfree.org

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