Orginally part of Fallout: Virginia, but works as a standalone concept

M-17 Rescue Power Armor is a pre-war set of gear designed for the most upstanding fire-departments along the East-Coast of The United States to deal with the increasing number of wild-fires in the region as well as the more hazardous materials from landfills and dumpsites as of the time. Constructed by a collabrative effort between the United States Government and Blue Ridge Conservation Incorporation and only 5 were finished before the bombs fell from the skies and rained hell upon the world and sent to: Roanoke, New-York, Boston, Pawtucket, and Miami with some suits still being in production. however, after the bombs dropped the sets were modified by surviving fire-fighters to be completely air-tight and reinforced and repaired with scrap metal to ensure survival.