Milliken launches North America’s first non-PFAS flame resistant moisture barrier for firefighters

Spartanburg, SC – Milliken & Company announced the launch of Milliken Assure™, North America’s first non-PFAS, non-halogenated, flame-resistant moisture barrier for firefighter turnout gear. The new fabric is UL certified and exceeds NFPA 1971-2018 requirements.

“Milliken is committed to providing firefighters with cutting-edge fabrics to help them work comfortably, safely, and efficiently,” said Marcio Manique, SVP of Protective Fabrics at Milliken. “We see moisture barriers as the missing piece in the fire service market when it comes to high-performance, non-PFAS turnout gear fabrics. Our expertise in eliminating PFAS chemistry from textile products makes us well-suited to take on this challenge.”

To ensure the highest quality product, Assure exceeds the requirements of the NFPA 1971-2018 standard, successfully passing a more stringent testing process for moisture barrier performance than the newly published NFPA 1970-2025 standard.

Two of the most difficult tests to pass for a non-PFAS moisture barrier are the Light Degradation Resistance test and the Viral Penetration Resistance test, as outlined in the NFPA 1971-2018 standard. There is a modification to the Light Degradation test and an alternate Liquid Barrier test allowed in place of Viral Penetration Resistance in the NFPA 1970-2025 standard. Assure passed both of the more challenging tests.

“Getting a non-PFAS solution that meets the highest possible standards to our first responders as quickly as possible is everyone’s goal,” said Manique. “Milliken is proud to lean on our centuries-long expertise in textile manufacturing and do our part to get this product to the market in support of that effort.”

Milliken works with all fire service garment manufacturers and not only provides fabrics for structural turnout gear, but also for station wear, wildland, technical rescue, and EMS. With the introduction of Assure, Milliken is the only textile manufacturer in the United States to offer outer shells, moisture barriers, and thermal liners