As you may know from previous pieces, I was a police officer in the Los Angeles County area for eight years, from 2005 until 2013.  In that time, nationwide, approximately 1,349 officers lost their lives in the line of duty. Would it surprise you to know that 568 of those occurred due to automobile collisions or being struck by vehicles on the road? In my time as a first responder, cars killed more cops than guns.

Some of these deaths were tragically unavoidable, but many occurred because it's tough to see cops wearing dark clothing at night, standing on black asphalt.

It's no secret that wearing the right fire retardant (FR) clothing is becoming an essential precaution in a growing number of industries, but how should you properly care for flame resistant garments? While many industrial launderers would like you to believe that FR clothing needs special laundering services, it’s not true; home laundering is just as safe and much more cost-effective.

Incorrectly laundering FR clothing can compromise the FR performance so you should always follow the detailed laundering and care instructions provided by the garment manufacturer. Here are three common FR laundering practices that will help you properly care for your FR clothing.