Great Scott!
If you’ve spent enough time browsing our site or reading this blog, you know that one of the cornerstones of business here at Enviro is our partnership with 3M. This link has existed since the earliest days of the company in the late 90’s, and has been extremely fruitful and valuable over the years. Exciting developments are taking place in the 3M camp, the latest of which is their acquisition of Scott Safety, announced back in March and finalized in early October. By folding Scott into their conglomerate, 3M creates new opportunities for the company and a new source of inventory for us.
Founded Earl M. Scott in New York, 1932, Scott Safety specializes in protective equipment for high-risk environments and tasks. They’re internationally known for their high-quality self-contained breathing apparati (SCBA) and technology that allows the user to calculate temperature in a space (thermal imaging) and detect the presence of fumes or fire. Let’s look at some representative products.
The X380N thermal imager is par of Scott’s X-Series of advanced imaging equipment. This remarkable device reads a fire scene and provides vital field data to the firefighters so they can operate tactically and efficiently. The description provided by Scott points out two features that seem especially important: hot and cold spot trackers. The hot spot tracker, obviously, locates which sector of the area is hottest, what the text calls “the true seat of the fire.” The cold spot tracker, on the other hand, locates “thread or valve gas leaks” and can also be used to monitor chemical temperature in hazmat situations. All of this data is presented in high resolution and full color in the most brutal environments, upwards of 2000°F.
Scott has a robust selection of respiratory protection products, but they’re primarily associated with SCBA technology, and rightfully so because this is where they really outshine the competition. Their latest unveiled product is the Air-Pak X3 Pro, designed with the long-term health of the firefighting community in mind as concerns mount about carcinogenic exposure in the field. The innovative shoulder harness makes donning and removing simple and comfortable, and the entire apparatus can be worn comfortably for hours. The X3 Pro also supports wireless connection between devices to allow for instant communication. If you’ve ever heard the noise a fire can generate in full blaze, you know how valuable these features would be out there.
Finally we have gas and fire detection. I think I’m going to do a post devoted just to this section, because the styles and functions of these products are diverse and I’d like to take a day to research what exactly they do so I can better explain what Scott is bringing to the table in this department. Stay tuned for that piece later this week.
3M’s announcement of the merger on their website is headed by the phrase “As One,” later elaborated upon: “As one, we’ll help you achieve your goals.” 3M, as always, is committed to bringing the latest in innovation and performance to the working public. We’re very excited to start bringing Scott Safety to our customer base, and hope you are too.
