Purchasing the right personal protective equipment for your firefighters is one of the more crucial and complex processes that a chief officer undertakes. However, that purchasing decision can be made more effective and efficient using an objective field evaluation. Here are the key steps to performing fit and field evaluations before you buy your gear. Field tests can vary, but they should have the same goal: selecting PPE for purchase with a high degree of confidence that firefighters will be satisfied wearing it. Two of the more common field tests include: 1) Assigning PPE for evaluation to line firefighters to wear during their normal tours of duty for a designated period.