Lakeland Fire + Safety’s California PPE Opens Second California Facility in Fresno to Provide Service and Training to Fire Departments
Rhea-AI Summary
Lakeland Fire + Safety (NASDAQ: LAKE) opened California PPE, Fresno, a 9,800 sq. ft. facility offering NFPA 1850-compliant decontamination, inspection, repair and training for California fire departments. The site includes Circul-Air Genius extractors and commercial Juki sewing machines. The facility’s UL verification as a registered ISP is pending. California PPE will host NFPA 1850 classes March 3-4, 2026, with a grand opening and open house lunch on March 4 from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm.
Positive
- 9,800 sq. ft. Fresno facility expands California service footprint
- Facility equipped with Circul-Air Genius extractors for advanced cleaning
- Commercial Juki sewing machines installed for on-site PPE repairs
- NFPA 1850 training classes scheduled March 3-4, 2026 for fire personnel
Negative
- UL verification status as a registered ISP is pending
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
LAKE is modestly higher (+0.1%) while peers are mixed: gains in PLCE (+1.67%) and JL (+5.49%) contrast with declines in SGC (-4.03%), JRSH (-0.61%) and LITB (-2.94%). This points to a company-specific, not sector-wide, move.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23 | Board appointment | Positive | -1.4% | Added experienced independent director to support scaling and governance. |
| Feb 19 | Technology upgrade | Positive | -0.9% | Long-term lease for first CO₂ turnout gear cleaning system in California. |
| Feb 18 | New services contract | Positive | -1.0% | Won Newport Beach Fire Department maintenance and decontamination contract. |
| Feb 17 | CFO appointment | Positive | -2.8% | Named permanent CFO with focus on liquidity, debt reduction and ERP rollout. |
| Feb 12 | Olympics supply win | Positive | -0.8% | Jolly Scarpe fulfilled urgent Italian government boot orders for Olympics. |
Recent LAKE news with generally positive operational and governance tone has coincided with small negative next-day price moves, indicating a pattern of muted or contrarian reactions to announcements.
Over the past weeks, LAKE has reported several positive developments, including a new contract for turnout gear services (Feb 18), installation of an advanced CO₂ cleaning system (Feb 19), urgent Olympic-related boot deliveries (Feb 12), and key leadership appointments for the CFO and Board (Feb 17, Feb 23). Despite their constructive nature, each event saw a modest negative 24-hour price reaction, suggesting cautious market reception to ongoing strategic execution.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement highlights continued build-out of LAKE’s fire services platform through a 9,800 sq. ft. NFPA 1850-compliant facility in Fresno, adding a second full PPE service and repair site in California. It reinforces focus on decontamination, inspection, repair, and training under updated standards. In context with recent contracts, technology upgrades, and leadership changes, investors may watch for revenue contribution, utilization of the new site, and further contract wins with California fire departments.
Key Terms
personal protective equipment medical
nfpa 1850 regulatory
national fire protection association regulatory
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
Offers State-of-the-Art Technology Extractors and Systems for Advanced Care and Maintenance of Firefighting Equipment, and NFPA 1850 Classes
Grand Opening and NFPA 1850 Class to be Held March 3rd to 4th
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Feb. 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lakeland Industries, Inc. ("Lakeland Fire + Safety" or "Lakeland") (NASDAQ: LAKE), a leading global manufacturer of protective clothing and apparel for industry, healthcare and first responders, today announced its California PPE Recon, Inc. (“California PPE”) subsidiary, which specializes in personal protective equipment (PPE) care and maintenance services, will host a grand opening of “California PPE, Fresno”, a new state-of-the-art facility providing compliant decontamination, inspection and repair services to California Fire Departments and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1850 training.
The 9,800 sq. ft. facility contains all new equipment providing cleaning under the new National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1850 guidelines, a set of standards establishing requirements for the selection, care, and maintenance of firefighting protective ensembles to reduce health and safety risks associated with improper maintenance, contamination, or damage. Equipment includes Circul-Air Genius extractors for advanced and specialized cleaning, and commercial Juki sewing machines for repairs. The facility’s UL verification status as a registered ISP is pending.
The facility will also provide NFPA 1850 classes to train Fire Departments in the new standards and labor code laws within California, focusing on the selection, care and maintenance of firefighter PPE and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). California PPE will host its first NFPA 1850 class on March 3-4, 2026, for fire department personnel. The class will be followed with a grand opening and open house lunch on Wednesday, March 4th from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm, open to all fire departments to visit the facility and meet the staff.
“Our second full PPE service and repair site in California will enhance our coverage range and fire department support across the state,” said Jim Jenkins, Chief Executive Officer of Lakeland. “With the largest number of firefighters in the United States, California is a critical market to expand our services in. California PPE’s customer service, attention to detail and efficiency have built an outstanding reputation for quality service and a track record of strong customer satisfaction. We continue to invest in expanding its reach and capabilities to help fire departments reduce exposure risks and extend the life of their protective gear. We look forward to meeting fire department personnel at the upcoming grand opening.”
California PPE is a leading and rapidly expanding UL-certified ISP in the California firefighting services market, one of the largest fire markets in the United States, and provides advanced decontamination, repair, and inspection of firefighting personal protective equipment, along with rental services and sales of cleaning detergents, extractors, and dryers.
About Lakeland Fire + Safety
Lakeland Fire + Safety manufactures and sells a comprehensive line of fire services and industrial protective clothing and accessories for the industrial and first responder markets. In addition, we provide decontamination, repair and rental services that complement our fire services portfolio. Our products are sold globally by our in-house sales teams, our customer service group, and authorized independent sales representatives to a strategic global network of selective fire and industrial distributors and wholesale partners. Our authorized distributors supply end users across various industries, including integrated oil, chemical/petrochemical, automobile, transportation, steel, glass, construction, smelting, cleanroom, janitorial, pharmaceutical, and high-tech electronics manufacturers, as well as scientific, medical laboratories, and the utilities industry. In addition, we supply federal, state and local governmental agencies and departments, including fire and law enforcement, airport crash rescue units, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and the Centers for Disease Control. Internationally, we sell to a mix of end-users directly and to industrial distributors, depending on the particular country and market. In addition to the United States, sales are made into more than 50 foreign countries, the majority of which were into China, the European Economic Community ("EEC"), Canada, Chile, Argentina, Commonwealth of Independent States (“CIS”) Region, Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, India, Uruguay, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand.
For more information about Lakeland, please visit the Company's website at www.lakeland.com.
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
This press release contains estimates, predictions, opinions, goals and other "forward-looking statements" as that phrase is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, without limitation, references to the Company's predictions or expectations of future business or financial performance as well as its goals and objectives for future operations, financial and business trends, business prospects, and management's expectations for earnings, revenues, expenses, inventory levels, capital levels, liquidity levels, or other future financial or business performance, strategies or expectations, including without limitation our M&A strategy and tariff mitigation plans. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, which address Lakeland's expectations of sources or uses for capital, or which express the Company's expectation for the future with respect to financial performance or operating strategies, can be identified as forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions as described from time to time in press releases and Forms 8-K, registration statements, quarterly and annual reports and other reports and filings filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission or made by management. As a result, there can be no assurance that Lakeland's future results will not be materially different from those described herein as "believed," "projected," "planned," "intended," "anticipated," "can," "estimated" or "expected," or other words which reflect the current view of the Company with respect to future events. We caution readers that these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. The Company hereby expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statements to reflect any change in the Company's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which such statement is based, except as may be required by law.
Investor Relations
Chris Tyson
Executive Vice President
MZ Group - MZ North America
949-491-8235
LAKE@mzgroup.us
www.mzgroup.us
FAQ
What services does Lakeland (LAKE) offer at California PPE Fresno?
When are the first NFPA 1850 classes at California PPE Fresno (LAKE)?
What equipment is installed at the new California PPE Fresno site by Lakeland (LAKE)?
Is the Fresno facility UL verified as a registered ISP for LAKE services?
Will Lakeland (LAKE) hold a public event at California PPE Fresno for fire departments?
How does the California PPE Fresno site support compliance with NFPA 1850 for LAKE customers?
