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ABBY HANNAH

A Hannah.jpg

Expert in Technical Textiles, 
Contaminants in Firefighting & 
Firefighting PPE Standards

Speaker Experience & Career Highlights

 

  • NFCC PPE Clothing Conference 2023 & 2024 – Speaker: Industry representatives update – the complexity of the firefighting PPE supply chain & firefighting PPE standards​

  • Emergency Services Show 2022, 2023, 2024 – Speaker & Panel discussion host on firefighting PPE base layers, cleaning & maintenance, decontamination. â€‹

  • PCIAW Autumn conference – Chair/Host of the firefighting PPE panel and round table​

  • The Invisible Risk – Speaker: Firefighters exposure to carcinogens​

  • AFAC Australia 2019 – The importance of moisture barriers in firefighting PPE​

  • NFCC Autumn conference 2024 – Speaker: Technical textiles in firefighting PPE.

  • ​Fire Service College – Incident command course PPE

BIO...

Abby graduated with a degree in Biological Sciences from Durham University in 2015 and began her career in technical textiles as the Global Business Development Manager for Stedfast, a Canadian coating and lamination company specializing in police, fire, and military contracts. Over the past 10 years, Abby has had the privilege of working in over 15 countries alongside firefighters to understand their needs and drive innovation in personal protective equipment (PPE). Abby's goal has always been to ensure that the products developed truly meet the demands of those on the front lines. Abby is proud to serve as a member of the FIA FRES Council, where she was nominated as the industry representative to liaise with the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) on PPE contracts. Additionally, Abby sits on the board of the Professional Clothing Industry Association, where she helps shape the development and understanding of the entire textile and professional clothing supply chain. One of Abby's key areas of focus is the decontamination of firefighting PPE and its link to increased cancer risks among serving firefighters in the UK and around the world. With her background in chemistry, Abby is passionate about translating complex scientific discoveries into practical knowledge for firefighters. Abby has had the opportunity to speak at multiple events to share these insights and help improve firefighter safety practices. In 2024, Abby joined PBI, a leading provider of critical thermal protection for firefighter structural garments, to continue her work in protecting those who protect us. After 10 years in this industry, Abby remains deeply passionate about advancing innovations that minimize risks and keep firefighters safe.

Testimonials

I have had the privilege of watching Abby deliver training on International courses at the Fire Service College and I have also received unsolicited feedback from other FIA members regarding Abby’s presentations at NFCC events.

 

Abby delivers sessions on Personal Protective Equipment to the international courses covering constituent parts of Structural Firefighting PPE and their importance and role in overall protection of firefighters as well as applicable standards. This is a technical subject area that could present some difficulties when presenting to an audience who do not have English as their first language. Abby broke the lessons down into easily understandable bitesize chunks and brought along some examples for the students to look at and touch whilst she was presenting - this all helped to bring the subject to life for the students. 

Abby has an exceptionally good grasp of her subject matter and presents in a way that is both engaging and easy to understand. On one course, she was asked to do an extra session on contamination of PPE - with a particular emphasis on simple rules for mitigating contamination of Firefighters. This was unexpected and Abby dealt with it really well - extending her lesson by an extra 90 minutes.  All of the feedback received reflects the view that Abby is an exceptionally good presenter, she is a subject matter expert and knows how to engage her audience to good effect.

 

As Chair of FRES Council, I have also received feedback (unsolicited as mentioned) on Abby’s presentations to NFCC on PPE and on the forthcoming collaborative PPE procurement. Once again, Abby’s sessions received high praise for her excellent presentation style and subject matter knowledge - it is no surprise that she is now a regular speaker at NFCC events regarding PPE.

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Bernie Higgins, Chair of FRES Council

I would highly recommend Abby Hannah as a speaker, presenter, or discussion host.  I have always found Abby’s communication and presentation skills to be top quality, In addition her subject knowledge within Fire and specifically PPE is exceptional.  I have asked Abby to speak at both National (NFCC) conferences as well as host seminar theatres at the Emergency Service Show, which have both proved highly successful.

 

 

Brett Egan-Briers, National Technical Lead (PPE), NFCC

Abby Hannah is a respected voice in the FR PPE industry, combining a decade of international business development with deep technical expertise. As an advisor to multiple standards bodies and a Board Director at PCIAW®, she brings valuable insights into fire safety standards and the progression of the PPE industry. Her work at PBI Performance Products reflects her commitment to advancing firefighter protection, earning the company a PCIAW® award, and the admiration of the PCIAW® network.

Yvette Ashby, CEO & Founder, PCIAW®

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