Firefighters across the county could be kitted out in new, lighter fire suits to help improve safety, Northamptonshire County Council has said.
Under the current contract, which ends in June 2014, the county council pays £280,000 a year for fire kit, known as personal protective equipment, for crews across Northamptonshire.
The authority has now started looking for a new contact and says it will consider “new fire fighting textile technology” developments when signing a new contract.
A council report, to be discussed next week, said: “We will ensure that recent research and development of new fire fighting textile technology and design of the selected PPE is considered, to offer enhanced safety to fire fighters.
“This will include lighter, more comfortable clothing, which offers greater protection from flame and the effects of working in extreme environments.”
Officers say the equipment, which is leased, will not however, cost taxpayers any more money.
The report added: “The key point is that replacement contract will not cost any more than the current provision even taking into account inflation. In fact it is anticipated that there will be reduced on-going and running costs through the use of agile asset management and smarter cleaning/maintenance and improved contract management.
“The recommended approach is to continue with the current contract basis for a fully managed service, with leased garments, which can be replaced as necessary, financed by existing base budgets.
“It will cost £500 per fire fighter, per year for this provision. For Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue, this would currently mean a total of between £2.625M and £2.635M for the life of a 10 year contract.”