When were fireproof vests invented?

Question

The year

Answer 1

If you *do* mean "fireproof vests" and fireproof gear in general (turn-out gear, bunker gear, fire-proximity suits), then we have to look at early firefighters and people working in the metal and glass industry.

There's the leather apron for the blacksmith, and the leather firefighter helmet. But the rest of the fireproof clothing was just wool. Firefighters just used military uniforms made from wool to protect themselves somewhat from the fire and the water. Leather firefighter helmets only came about 1830.

"Historically, firefighters did not have the protective clothing used today. Because of this most fires were fought from the outside of burning buildings, and structures were rarely entered. In the early 1800s, felt caps were worn, which did not provide any protection against flame or head injury but did keep water off the firefighter's face. [...] The early use of long trench coats, later made of rubber, was the forerunner of modern turnout jackets. Earlier rubber coats were much longer than today's modern turnout jackets, and were worn with long rubber boots called "three-quarter boots" which came above the firefighter's knees." ("Bunker gear", Wikipedia)

Asbestos was known, but until recently very expensive :

"Items made of asbestos were held in so great an esteem as to be of equal value with gold; none but emperors and kings had napkins made of it. Supposedly, Charlemagne had a tablecloth made of asbestos. Cleaning an asbestos cloth was simple- it was simply thrown into a fire. Some antiquaries have believed that ancients made shrouds of asbestos, wherein they burnt the bodies of their kings, in order to preserve only their ashes, and prevent their being mixed with those of wood, or other combustible materials commonly used in building funeral pyres."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbestos

Ephraim Chambers, 1680 (ca.)-1740, "Cyclopædia", "The First Volume" (1728), "Arterial - attaching" :
http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/HistSciTech/HistSciTech-idx?type=turn&entity=HistSciTech000900240192&isize=L

Answer 2

Fire proof vest? Are you asking about bullet proof vests?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulletproof_vest
http://www.bodyarmornews.com/bullet-proof-vest.htm