UK alumni design, safeguard turnout gear for firefighters

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 16, 2025) — According to the U.S. Fire Administration, there are approximately 52,000 fire departments representing more than 1.2 million personnel in the country. In Kentucky, there are more than 680 fire stations and 18,500 firefighters. When responding to the approximately 1.4 million yearly fire emergencies across the nation, firefighters’ gear is paramount to their success.

University of Kentucky alums Andrea Boylin and Tricia Hock are doing their part in their roles at LION — the largest provider in the nation of fire training equipment and facilities for first responders — to keep firefighters safer and be more successful in serving communities. Boylin and Hock are both graduates of the Merchandising, Apparel and Textiles (MAT) undergraduate and graduate programs at the UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE).

Boylin is a product manager that works with the LION team to design turnout gear, providing firefighters customized boots, coats, helmets, hoods, gloves, accessories and more, giving them the comfort and safety to respond with confidence.

“We are making firefighters’ turnout gear better, safer and dryer. Seeing it in action is really inspiring,” Boylin said. “I don’t think I would be at LION without my education at the University of Kentucky. UK helped reshape my professional life.”

Hock, vice president of product management and marketing, specifically works on LION’s TotalCare® team which provides services to clean, inspect and repair the firefighter’s gear, ensuring that it meets the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1851 quality standards.

“We are keeping our firefighters protected so they can do their jobs at the highest level every day,” Hock said. “While attending graduate school, I was able to make meaningful connections in the fire service industry. I wouldn’t be at LION today without my educational and professional experience at UK.”

UK Textiles Testing Lab

As UK graduate students, both Boylin and Hock worked in the Textiles Testing Lab, housed in the Department of Retailing and Tourism Management.

Under the direction of Martin-Gatton CAFE professor and consultant for textiles and textile care Elizabeth Easter, Ph.D., who launched the Textiles Testing Lab in 1988, the lab is a hub for the textile and apparel industry on campus, providing assistance in the development, evaluation and performance of new or existing products.

“Having both Andrea and Tricia as MAT students in the lab and now seeing what they are doing to improve communities at LION is truly inspirational,” Easter said. “We are very thankful to LION, who has utilized our lab for more than three decades and funded student research projects on firefighter turnout gear.”

During their graduate school studies at UK, Boylin and Hock participated in sponsored research and internships with LION, giving them both a glimpse into how their degrees could be applied to the fire services industry.

“I wanted to work on real-world problems, not just theory, and that’s what the MAT program and the lab offered us,” Boylin said. “We were able to apply what we learned in the classroom and in the lab at LION. We are very thankful to UK and Dr. Easter for making this connection.”

The lab also provides funding for graduate research assistants and the opportunity for students to conduct thesis-research projects within the industry and gain experience in solving real-world projects.

One of those projects included an initial firefighter durability study for LION titled “Post-Use Evaluation of Firefighter Turnout Gear,” which Hock completed in 1996.

In 2000, LION donated $50,000, receiving a match through the state of Kentucky’s Research Challenge Trust Fund to create the LION Apparel Endowment for $100,000 to fund student research on firefighter turnout gear. The funds have supported eight research projects since its beginning.

“I found my love in the Textiles Testing Lab realizing there’s so much you can do with a MAT degree,” Hock said. “Being at LION today, it’s an honor and truly a full-circle moment. What these firefighters and first responders do for us is simply incredible.”

Turnout gear in action

At Lexington Fire Department Station No. 6, Capt. Steve Lewis, executive officer for the Lexington Fire Department’s Community Services and Public Education Bureau, said LION’s turnout gear is giving firefighters the tools to do their jobs effectively.

“Serving for 22 years, what I’ve noticed is the evolution of the turnout gear in a good way,” Lewis said. “We now have added functionality, breathability, flexibility and overall performance enhancements for us on the fire ground. It’s critical to have gear that moves and functions with us, not against us, because there are people waiting on us to come in and save the day.”

LION has three manufacturing and distribution centers in Kentucky, located in Beattyville, Hazel Green and West Liberty. For Lewis, knowing that their turnout gear is customized and packaged locally right here in Kentucky is something to appreciate.

“When we used to go get fitted for gear, there were little to no options; it was more one-size-fits-all,” Lewis said. “Now, there’s way more customization with the turnout gear, thanks to the people at LION. As a proud Kentuckian, having LION in our corner and right in our backyard is massive.”

LION’s V-Force® turnout gear was recently recognized as the “Coolest Thing Made in Kentucky” in an online bracket tournament conducted by the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers and Kentucky Farm Bureau.
 
To learn more about the Merchandising, Apparel and Textiles program at Martin-Gatton CAFE, visit https://rtm.ca.uky.edu/undergraduate/mat.