If you've ever bought a Nomex shirt thinking it was the same kind of "Nomex" as a wildland fire jacket, this article exists for you. CAL FIRE actually maintains two distinct handbooks with two distinct approval processes and two distinct manufacturer lists.
The two handbooks
1500 — CAL FIRE Uniform Handbook
- Covers: wear items — what an employee puts on for daily duty.
- Subject Matter Expert: Uniform Advisory Committee (UAC).
- Last revision (Overview 1500): October 2025.
- Components: Policies 1501–1505 + 1502-X procedures + the Class A/B/C/D/E/M Purchasing Guides + Optional Items Guide + Collar Brass / Service Stars / Insignia Display / Specifications exhibits.
1700 — CAL FIRE Safety Handbook
- Covers: personal protective equipment (PPE) — items that protect the wearer from specific hazards.
- Subject Matter Expert: CAL FIRE Safety Program & PPE Working Group.
- Approved manufacturers and SKUs are maintained in a separate published list (last per-category updates run from 2022 to 2026).
Why this matters at the point of sale
The same brand can appear on both lists for different items. Workrite, for example, is on the 1500 side for the Class C / Class D duty Nomex IIIA shirt (Midnight Navy FSC2MN/FSC3MN/FSC0MN/FSC1MN) and on the 1700 side for the wildland Nomex jacket (FW82YL). These are different products serving different purposes:
- The Workrite Class C/D shirt is a uniform shirt spec'd by the Class C Purchasing Guide. It's daily-wear Nomex IIIA — flame-resistant, but not the WFPE wildland PPE shroud.
- The Workrite Wildland Jacket is on the Wildland Firefighting Protective Ensemble (WFPE) list — actual fireline PPE.
Asking "is this Nomex CAL FIRE-approved?" is therefore an ambiguous question. The answer depends on which approval list applies. Always tie a "compliant" claim to a specific list.
What's on each list
1500 manufacturers (per Class Purchasing Guide)
- Class A: Flying Cross · Lighthouse Uniform Co. · A.H. Rice · Chambers · Sam Broome · Hankin Brothers · Blackinton & Co.
- Class B: Flying Cross · Elbeco · Chambers · Sam Broome
- Class C/D: Flying Cross · Workrite (Nomex IIIA shirts) · Crew Boss · Workrite · Cascade (tactical pants)
- Class E: 5.11 · First Tactical · Bianchi · Dutyman · Safariland · Galls
- Class M: Elbeco
- Optional: Yupoong / Flex Fit · Richardson · Propper · New Era · Blauer · Game Workwear · 5.11 · Elbeco · True North Dragonwear · Sun Badge Company · Stratton · Sam Broome
1700 manufacturers (PPE list)
- HFEO Helmet: MSA
- IWPE: Lac-Mac · National Safety Apparel
- Web Gear: Mystery Ranch · Wolfpack
- Performance Base Layer Shirt: DFND USA · Workrite
- SCBA: SCOTT (statewide contract LPA ID 1-22-42-04 mandatory)
- Structural PPE (SFPE): Lion · Morning Pride
- Wildland PPE (WFPE): CAL CTRA (formerly CAL PIA) · Crew Boss · Workrite · Propper · Cascade
How approval works on each side
1500 side (UAC): "The Department may consider and approve additional uniform garment items submitted by vendors providing garment material and construction meets required Department needs and color matches" (Policy 1501). Per Procedure 1501-1, the Director has final authority for approving substitutions/deviations and additional vendor garment items. The Purchasing Guide exhibits (one per Class plus the Optional Items Guide) carry the published list of approved items and their SKUs, with their own revision dates.
1700 side (Safety Program / PPE Working Group): Specific PPE items must meet a CAL FIRE specification (drafted by the Safety Program for items like helmets, structural PPE, wildland PPE). Manufacturers wanting to sell to CAL FIRE submit their item for approval to the spec. Approved items appear on the Approved PPE Manufacturer list.
The 1500 process is uniform-garment-focused. The 1700 process is hazard-protection-focused.
Practical implications for buyers
- Check the right list. A Class C duty shirt is a 1500-side item. A wildland turnout jacket is a 1700-side item. Don't conflate them.
- "Compliant" needs a citation. "1500-compliant" is a misuse of language; the cleanest claim is "spec'd to Procedure 1502-1" (for Class A) or "matched to the Class C Purchasing Guide" (for Class C). For 1700-side items, "on the approved [WFPE/SFPE/etc.] manufacturer list" with the SKU.
- Don't assume cross-list approval. A 1500-approved manufacturer may have items NOT on the 1700 list, and vice versa. Each item is judged on its own list.
Where the lists are published
- 1500-side approvals live inside the relevant Purchasing Guide exhibit (one per Class plus the Optional Items Guide). Each exhibit has its own revision date.
- 1700-side approvals live in the published "Approved PPE Manufacturers" document, with separate per-category update dates. Questions on uncovered PPE go to CALFIRE.DepartmentSafetyOfficer@fire.ca.gov.
Source
CAL FIRE Uniform Handbook 1500 — Overview 1500 (revised October 2025) and the Class A/B/C/D/E/M Purchasing Guide exhibits. CAL FIRE Approved Manufacturers (PPE) list — multiple per-category revision dates running through 2026.
