Your Garment should be cleaned, inspected, and repaired in a frequency and manner consistent with your fire department's protocol, NFPA 1851, and NFPA 1971. As the wearer, you play an important role in reducing the safety and health risks with every routine inspection you perform on your PPE, and with every advanced inspection performed by a trained expert.
Routine Inspection:
Inspect your Garment including its outer shell, liner, DRD and other components at the following times:
Upon receipt of your new Garment or replacement component;
After each use or at least monthly (whichever is greater) during the useful life of the Garment;
After exposure to heat, flames, chemicals, or fire fighting agents (including AFFF foam and water);
After exposure to body fluids (including blood); and
After washing, repair or decontamination.

Advanced Inspection:
Your Garment should undergo a regular advanced inspection by an expert in the Fire Department who has been trained by Lion Apparel, a verified Independent Service Provider (ISP), or by Lion TotalCare at least annually, or whenever you have a question about whether a Garment is fit for use.

Click here to watch a video on routine PPE inspections for turnouts, helmets, hoods, gloves, and boots

Most performance properties of the Garment and its components cannot be tested by the user in the field. So if you see damage on the outer surface of the inner liner, it should be inspected by a trained expert, a Lion TotalCare® Center, or verified ISP to determine whether the inner layers are damaged. In many cases, damage to the inside layers of the inner liner will not be visible to the user without an expert opening the inner liner for inspection.