MEDINA, Ohio — Oct. 28 is National First Responders Day — a day to celebrate police officers and firefighters who put their lives on the line every day by running toward the danger to protect others.

But there are also some whose job it is to serve those who serve by doing the behind-the-scenes work.

“I’ll warm my hands a little. I haven’t toasted any marshmallows in here yet, but this is about as close as I’m comfortable getting," joked Lindsey Shaw while standing near an open flame in the testing lab at Fire-Dex. “I’ll stay in the lab. You guys wear the big coats and run out there. I’ll wear my lab coat.”,

She is the Quality and Compliance Coordinator at Fire-Dex in Medina.

“This is Dexter. He’s our mannequin for overall liquid integrity testing," she explained while duct taping a bag around the mannequin's head to make sure no water seeped through.

“Any water inside would be very, very hot from being in such a warm place. So that can cause water burns and also steam burns, potentially. So, any water coming inside of that garment can be potentially dangerous," said Shaw.

Fire-Dex is a family-owned personal protective equipment business that’s been around for decades in Ohio. It produces all firefighter gear from head to toe with hundreds of departments around the country wearing the brand.

“We really work hard to protect those firefighters from not only the external heat, but then the internal heat of their body," said Ryan Holliday, operations manager at Fire-Dex. “We know that our work makes a difference and it saves lives.”

Shaw is the first line of defense to make sure the PPE does what it’s supposed to do.

“Everyone just wants to do such a good job because of the industry we’re in, you know, we’re making things that help keep people safe," said Shaw.

After it’s made in the factory, Shaw tests the samples.

The Thermal Protective Performance device simulates a flash-over condition and radiant heat.

“There’s a combination of time and heat increase that are being measured," said Shaw.

The test evaluates the safety of the layers of fabric in real-life fire situations to mitigate the risk of second degree burns.

“So, this specific sample took 20.4 seconds," she explained while performing the test.

For first responders, seconds can be a matter of life and death.

“In a real-life situation, a firefighter won’t have that amount of time to escape. So, what we want our gear to do is protect them as much as it can," said Shaw.

She checks it out before it’s sent out for third-party testing to ensure everything is National Fire Protection Association compliant.

“Keeping that promise to protect those who protect us," said Shaw.

Shaw said the work is rewarding. She loves serving as a hidden hero.

“Being in this industry where we are helping keep people safe, especially first responders who are risking their safety in order to do that, is very fulfilling to know that I am a million steps back, but definitely still kind of keep taking a part in that," she said.