Safety Gloves for Military, Police and Rescue
Defence, police, emergency services and volunteer rescue teams need gloves that stay on through an entire task. The glove must handle glass and metal during extrication, tolerate heat, protect the knuckles and still allow a radio, a buckle or a casualty strap to be worked first time.
Cut & stab
Vehicle extrication exposes hands to laminated glass, torn panel edges and cut posts, and searches expose hands to concealed blades and sharps. The property required is a TDM cut letter of D or above, and where needles are a credible risk a dedicated needle resistant material, since the EN 388 puncture test uses a blunt stylus and does not represent a hypodermic.
Flame & heat
Structure fire support, vehicle fires and pyrotechnics create heat exposure, and the critical failure mode is a synthetic glove melting onto the skin. The property required is a shell and liner of leather or aramid that chars rather than melting, evidenced by an EN 407 burning behaviour result.
Impact
Forced entry, breaching, restraint and shifting wreckage strike the back of the hand against hard surfaces. Moulded knuckle protection carrying the EN 388 P designation spreads the load, provided the guard is shaped so the hand can still close fully into a fist and the glove can be pulled on quickly.
Abrasion
Rope work, rappelling, crawling through rubble and dragging casualties wear the palm through faster than any other task in this sector. A high abrasion figure in the first EN 388 position, usually from a reinforced leather or synthetic leather palm, decides whether the glove lasts a deployment.
What to specify
Specify EN 388:2016+A1:2018 including the P designation for entry and rescue roles, EN 407 where flame exposure is credible, and a dexterity grade of 4 or 5 under EN ISO 21420 so equipment can be operated gloved.
Most teams carry two gloves. A light duty glove covers routine patrol, driving and equipment handling, and a reinforced glove with knuckle protection and a higher cut level is carried for extrication, breaching and rubble work. Both need a wrist closure that allows fast removal.
Recommended gloves
- GRANBERG 2202: Tactical rappelling gloves with Kevlar® protection and impact defense. Premium goatskin leather.
- GRANBERG 2209: Kevlar®-lined rescue gloves for hoist and fire operations. Premium goatskin with reinforced wear zones.
- GRANBERG 2211: Tactical NSP cut and needlestick resistant gloves. Goatskin palm, Kevlar® lined, touchscreen compatible.
- GRANBERG 9002: Cut D Impact Hi-Viz™ protective gloves. Durable KR-Grip material in palm and fingers, waterproof, winter lined.
Frequently asked questions
What cut level suits vehicle extrication?
TDM level D or above, because laminated glass, torn sheet metal and cut posts present sustained blade like edges under hand pressure. Combine that with a reinforced palm for abrasion during casualty movement and a knuckle guard for the strikes that happen while working inside a wreck.
Do tactical gloves protect against needles during searches?
Not by default. The EN 388 puncture test uses a blunt stylus, which behaves nothing like a hypodermic needle. Where concealed sharps are a credible risk, use gloves built with needle resistant material and combine them with a search procedure that uses mirrors and tools rather than fingers.
What dexterity level should operational gloves have?
Level 4 or 5 under EN ISO 21420. That grading records the smallest pin an operator can pick up while gloved and correlates closely with the ability to work radios, buckles, carabiners and torches without removing the glove, which is when hands are actually exposed.