“Trying to find talented sewers—making life-saving products—is extremely interesting and important to us,” said John Karban, the company’s vice president of operations and incoming president. “That introduced us to Old Fort.”

The opportunity presented itself just as Fire-Dex was grappling with how to meet surging demand. “Our business exploded around 2021 [and] we needed some additional manufacturing capacity,” Karban said. After visiting the facility and meeting with a group of recently released employees, the team made a quick decision and Fire-Dex was up and running making their simplest product—suspenders for firefighters—within three weeks. 

Today, the facility produces full turnout ensembles: the custom-fitted coats and pants firefighters wear into structural fires. 

While many cut-and-sew operations in the area have shuttered, Fire-Dex has bucked that trend thanks to consistent innovation and demand. “We’ve been gaining market share through acquisitions and through some technologies that we’ve developed that allow us to make our gear lighter weight, more breathable, and therefore safer for the firefighters,” Karban explained. 

Customization plays a major role in both the company’s success and its reliance on skilled labor. “The firefighter suit is so customized, [with] different pockets and different colors and different trims,” Karban said. “Every department has a different flashlight that they carry. It’s not easy to automate, so we still need people to put it together.”

The workforce is a crucial part of the Fire-Dex operation, and the company hired people on the spot when it first came to see the facility. Today, the site employs about 30 people and continues to grow. Fire-Dex also has a sewing school near their Old Fort location where they train new employees on the process of assembling a turnout ensemble. “There’s a lot of quality standards that we have to follow, including adherence to National Fire Protection Association rules and regulations,” Karban said.

While the gear made in Old Fort is shipped around the world, its impact stays close to home, providing garments to several regional fire departments. “We’re in the safety business,” Karban said. “We’re in the business of providing life-saving equipment to the communities around us.” 

Learn more at FireDex.com.