This is Carl...he's not always this bright!

Posted by Jono - Tactical Solutions on 17th Apr 2020

This is Carl...he's not always this bright!

Carl is one of the team leads on our Police Body Armour project.
...but...he's also a volunteer firefighter...among a list of other things.
So, how it works with being a volunteer firefighter is that you're on standby and when there is an incident you get called out...it usually happens a couple of times a week. Want to know more? Check out this link: https://fireandemergency.nz/volunteering/

I love chatting to this guy because he's got some amazing experiences to share.
One that does stick out is the way he described how their "light truck" works. Yup, a light truck. They push a button and the truck transforms into a massive lighting station with huge spotlights that lights up the area.
It's extremely impressive. "One of the perks of the job."

The problem with the light truck is that it's all well and good if you've got an incident that needs a good amount of light and you're static, but when you start moving or you need to be the light source, it's another story.

So Carl's been looking for a light that would help him and his crew cut through the dark.
He needed something that would:

Be Fireman strong!
Waterproof
Be solid and not flop around
Light up a room, but not be too intense that the light blinds you
Move it easily around off the clip
Easy on and off switch with thick gloves
Affordable

So we came up with this:

It's the brand new Response XR1 headlamp from 5.11.

YES, YES - but there's a problem with that!

The H.E.L.M.E.T.

Nope! The light comes off the headband and it's got a fantastic pocket clip that works a little differently to others. The clip faces outwards and the inner part of the torch sits behind it. It mounts beautifully onto M.O.L.L.E!

It fits perfectly into the chest loop and because the backing sits solidly against the body, the light sits firmly and moves when you move.

Carl gave it go and he absolutely loved it!

"The light was fantastic. It was easy to move around with the gloves...had a massive amount of light which lit up the whole scene and looks like it can take a beating."

Thanks for the phenomenal photos and the awesome feedback, sir!