Working for extended periods on military airfields and in close proximity to fast jet aircraft with a typical noise exposure of between 110 and 140 decibels, the Defence Fire Risk Management Organisation (DFRMO) recognised the need to review the hearing protection being supplied to their fire fighters.  Following a detailed procurement process, that took into account the various elements of the fire fighters role, they selected the SonoCustom® custom fitted earplugs from Sonomax®. 

With 85 fire stations, 13 of those based abroad and in excess of 2,400 fire-fighters requiring hearing protection, DFRMO embarked on an extensive risk assessment project to clearly identify what was needed, the performance expectations of the new hearing protection and any other considerations such as compatibility with other operational equipment.  Extensive product testing revealed that Sonomax not only out-performed all other equipment by offering far greater protection, but also proved to be easier to fit and therefore implement across all the stations both in the UK and abroad.  It also sat comfortably under the organisation’s existing Gallet helmet.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Phil Salt, who project managed the procurement process explained “We are distributing 2,620 pairs of SonoCustom for our operational staff and it is critical that this equipment not only protects our fire fighter’s hearing but is also comfortable to wear and straight forward to fit so that they can complete their airfield and structural fire fighting and training roles without detriment to their hearing.

SonoCustom from Sonomax 

The SonoCustom custom fit earplugs from Sonomax are designed to block hazardous noise but still allow the wearer to hear conversations and warning signals.  Because each person’s ear is different, true hearing protection can only be effective with an acoustic seal; without this seal, noise leakage can occur that may compromise protection.  SonoCustom earplugs are so comfortable because of the custom fit, that they can be worn for a prolonged period which is exactly what the DFRMO fire fighters are exposed to.

Brian Powell, Managing Director, Sonomax UK explained “half the battle with effective hearing protection is ensuring it is worn.  SonoCustom is so comfortable, providing perfect and documented protection but without blocking out good noise, that people are happy to wear them all day long”.

This new hearing protection is currently being rolled out across all 85 DFRMO fire stations and phase two is to look at including radio communications into the existing ear plugs.