Pennsylvania is largely comprised of many small volunteer fire departments, that too often are self funded and suffer from lack of funds and staffing. Black Diamond Tint has a long history in the fire industry and have made too many friends to count in the last few years with local volunteer fireman. There is a large problem with the UV rays damaging expensive clothing and gear, essential for protection to the firemen. Some of these clothing sets, for just 1 person, are close to $3500! By adding window film in key areas, we can help to extend the life of this gear, thus reducing your overall budget by eliminating your constant replacement costs prematurely. Knowing how crucial this gear is to the overall safety of the firemen, we take great pride in being able to help in any way that we can.
We were recently approached by the fire chief from Eastern Salisbury Fire Department in Allentown, Pennsylvania to see if we had any solutions we could add to their fire trucks for them. They were having severe heat issues in the warmer weather and their firefighters were become fatigued from working, with no area of relief. The fire trucks come standard with clear glass, which acts like a magnifying glass from the sun, increasing the temperature to unsafe levels inside the trucks. This is especially true in the brush trucks, used for fighting brush fires in remote locations, where there is no area to get out of the sun and recuperate. They have also switched recently to Black gear, which they have seen changing in as little as a few months, which signifies that it is already seeing a reduced lifespan due to UV exposure.
Thankfully, we absolutely have a solution!
We talked about visibility issues and how we could overcome that, and still provide a drastic improvement in the temperature inside the trucks. We decided on a 80% ceramic film, which is basically clear, that still rejects 43% of the total heat coming in! We used the 80% on the front cab windows of the trucks and then used 20% on the back windows of the trucks since visibility was not as large of a concern back there. Since UV degradation of the firefighters clothing was a big concern as well, and we were able to address a large portion of that with our films, being that they reduce UV penetration by 99%.
Here is an example of one of their engines that we installed 20% to the rear windows and 80% ceramic to the front windows. As you can see, the front windows remain nearly untouched, but give you 99% UV rejection and 43% heat rejection! The interior temperature of the cab will be significantly reduced, keeping expensive electronics and the fireman noticeably cooler and more protected.
They have 5 trucks and 2 fire police vehicles that needed film applied and we were more than happy take care of all of them for them. We set up a day that was convenient for them and brought our equipment and film with us, to install all the film on site right in their firehouse. We were able to work around their busy schedules and install the film to the trucks in an order and time frame that did not impact their service to the community and ability to answer calls.
As you can see here, the film is nearly undetectable, except when applying. Having a professional installation makes all the difference in the clarity, warranty, and longevity of the window tinting experience.
Adding window film to your fire apparatus does not only give you protection for your gear and your firefighters, but it is also extremely beneficial in reducing the sun glare that is often the cause of accidents due to visibility issues. Window film does not have to be dark to provide you with many great benefits anymore. We not only install the ceramic tint to the fire trucks and other department vehicles, but we also have been help many departments by tinting their fire bays where they store the gear and the trucks.
If you or your department needs window tinting or would like to know more about the benefits or even have us come by and provide you with an onsite visit, we would be happy to help!
You can reach us by phone at 570-527-6962 or via email at sales@blackdiamondtint.com
Please take a minute and browse through our gallery from our time spent at the Eastern Salisbury Township Fire Department.
Black Diamond Tint is based in New Ringgold PA, just south of Tamaqua Pennsylvania. We service all of the surrrounding areas from Reading to Allentown, and from Hazleton to Quakertown. We are professional installers of Automotive, Residential, and Commercial window films!