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The Best Firefighter Flashlight and Helmet Lights for 2021
Firefighter flashlights Built for a fight
Our Firefighting Products Help You Push Back Against The Elements
Fire And Water
Firefighters are tough. Their tools and turnout gear should be just as tough. This is particularly true when it comes to the firefighter's flashlight. Their lives and the lives of those they are called to rescue are on the line, dependent on the reliability of their tools and the visibility through the environment of smoke, danger, heat and extremes.
Underwater Kinetics products are designed to handle both fire and water with ease. The heroes who use our products everyday fight sweltering structure fires, are the first to arrive at accident scenes and perform lifesaving rescues in the most extreme conditions, be it freezing cold or scorching flame.
Thousands of firefighters and emergency technicians across the globe rely on UK fire rescue products. We construct each firefight light, case, and accessory to offer the ultimate in dependability and durability.
key Features of a firefighting Flashlight
For a firefighter, choosing a flashlight that can endure high temperatures, heavy use, and is as powerful and durable as it is portable and manageable is literally a matter of life and death. Generally, a flashlight for firefighting should have a non-metallic body to avoid burns on the skin. They should be easy to turn on and off with gloves, simple in design, lightweight, and exceptionally bright (always check your lumens). The flashlight should also have a tight, focused beam that reduces the amount of reflected light back to the user when looking through smoke, particulate, or water vapor.
Your firefighting flashlights ideally need to be powered by rechargeable li-ion batteries. These batteries will last longer than the old AA battery-powered models of days gone past.
For endurance of luminosity, LED firefighter flashlights are also more cost-efficient and energy-efficient - the latter being why LED lights last longer than non-LED alternatives.
What's the Best Firefighter Flashlight?
Any fire and rescue professional will tell you how flashlights are far from the typical type of flashlight that you'll find in a hardware store. Not only does the firefighter have to battle the challenging elements, but the gear itself has to be custom made to weather any firestorm.
Every element is stacked against a firefighter as they battle to save lives. Choking smoke, blazing heat, darkness, unfamiliar spaces, and an unstable unpredictable terrain all conspire to work against the rescue operation.
A firefighting flashlight needs to have the beam intensity to be able to cut through the smoke like a lightsaber through pudding. A great firefighter flashlight needs to allow you to move hands-free to navigate the hostile dangerous environment. And just like the rest of the turnout gear, it needs to be as tough as the person who uses it, able to withstand the harshest elements, time after valorous time.
Ask yourself:
Is your flashlight sealed with o rings to prevent moisture, gas or grit from getting inside? Is the battery cover secure? Depending on the terrain, can you easily attach it via spring clip to your turnout gear or helmet to leave your hands free for lifesaving operations?
Your best firelight also depends on the kind of firefighting you meet most often.
Ideal Fire Flashlight Features:
• Non-Metal or Polymer Body
• Easy To Use With Gloves
• Lightweight / Low Profile
• Hands-Free
• Rechargeable Battery
• Focused/Narrow Beam
Okay, But What About The Best Firefighter Helmet Light?
When most people think of flashlights for firefighters, the helmet flashlight is the image that comes to mind. With good reason too. A high-quality, hands-free light attached to you is a key piece of equipment for any firefighter. The advantages of a firefighter helmet light include the free use of your hands, the beam always aiming at the direction you are facing, and increased visibility for others.
Firefighters need a specialist product that sends out a powerful illumination without a cumbersome battery pack to add to the weight of turnout gear and the rescue equipment being carried. It also needs to be waterproof and shockproof to cope with any environment and potential collisions.
UK's primary helmet-mounted lights include our 3AA and 4AA CPO and the Nitex Pro® Rechargeable. The NITEX comes with its own helmet clip while the others just need a Rylee Clip or Adjustable Stainless Steel clip to be secured. The Nitex Pro is a rechargeable light, while the 3AA and 4AA use conventional, single-use batteries.
These helmet lights are all waterproof, lightweight, highly durable, and extremely bright. They each emit a tight, focused beam that cuts through even the thickest smoke and increases your visibility in areas with a lot of smoke, fog, or water mist.
Fireman flashlights with adjustable lighting modes, such as strobe mode for signaling others in case of emergency, are ideal for search and rescue missions.
For European style clips please visit our EU website.
Right-Angle Firefighter Lights
An important tool in the firefighter's armory is a right-angle firefighter light, which features an adjustable head that can be set to illuminate in any direction up to 90 degrees from the handle of the device. Many firefighters use a right-angle firefighter light as their hands-free device, or as trusted backup lights that can be mounted to the bunker coat or tied to the shoulder strap.
Right angle lights are also a suitable choice for different types of firefighting such as deployment for EMT use or wildlands firefighting, where you may not use a standard fire helmet or may go without one.
UK's popular right-angle lights can rotate in any direction, giving you the ability to see in front of you whether you are walking or crawling. The UK Lighthouse right-angle light is unique due to its magnetic base and a second beam option puts it among the best flashlights for firefighters.
Headlamps
Headlamps provide an eye-level light source that leaves your hands free for work and provides a light source on the swivel of your head. They are considered an appropriate choice for wildlands firefighting, or for EMT use.
Once again, at Underwater Kinetics we have your covered.
The reviews are in. The 3AAA eLED® Vizion™ Headlamp is the best flashlight in its class. It is fully waterproof. It has an adjustable beam, allowing the user to alternate between lighting up an entire scene and using a very tight beam. Whether worn on your head or placed on a helmet, the strap has a secure grip leaving your hands free for whatever your job demands but is also lightweight and comfortable so you’ll barely notice it's there.
Secondary Backup Lights
What's your plan B? A firefighter can't always control every circumstance, but they can always be prepared for the unexpected. A secondary light is a valuable item to have with you for many situations, like helping you to find items that are lost in the rush of the emergency, or to aid those around you in a pinch.
Most search and rescue professionals recommend carrying at least two lights, if not more, on all calls in case of a light failure. These should be safe, durable, waterproof lights that are certified for hazardous situations and will not let you down when you need them.
Popular Backup Firefighting Flashlights
Search and Rescue Lights
UK is the world’s largest producer of diving lights. Our experience allows us to create high-powered search and rescue lights in the most extreme of environments - the dark depths of the ocean.
When the job needs more than just a flashlight, you'll need a light with a beam intensity powerful enough to illuminate even the darkest corners and crevices. Our lights are smaller, lighter, and brighter than others on the market.
Browse our store to choose the light that's right for your needs. A light with a high lumen measure and a shorter beam range is ideal to illuminate a wider area at a shorter distance or a flood beam. If your area of operations calls for sightlines at longer distances, a spot beam would be more suited. Or drop us a line and we'll be able to advise you on what you need, just as we've advised countless other firefighters and search and rescue professionals.
