History

The owner of Scott’s PPE, Ralph Scott, was an active duty fire captain in Contra Costa County, California, when his fire department’s operations chief asked him to develop a program for cleaning and repair of the department’s personal protective equipment – turnouts. With over 20 years of sewing experience as owner of Scott’s Upholstery & Garment Repair, he was the obvious choice for the project. At the time, his department was using turnout gear manufactured by Globe Fire Suits, so Ralph scheduled a trip to Globe’s facility in New Hampshire. During this fact-finding trip, it was discovered that the project was too costly an endeavor for his fire department. Instead of dropping the project, Ralph decided to develop an organization to provide cleaning and repair services not only to his fire department, but to all departments within his sphere of influence in Northern California.

Ralph Scott contacted all major manufacturers of turnouts and scheduled training sessions at each facility. He received letters of authorization for them, as well as the authorization for the Gore Moisture Barrier. In 2000, Scott’s PPE Recon, Inc. was incorporated as an outgrowth of Scott’s Upholstery & Garment Repair. On October 4, 2002, after 30 years of fire service, Ralph retired. He is now CEO of Scott’s PPE, which has become the largest provider of personal protective equipment cleaning and repair services in Northern California.