A Post-use Evaluation of Turnout Gear Using NFPA 1971 Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and NFPA 1851 on Selection, Care and Maintenance

McQuerry, Meredith; Klausing, Stacy; Cotterill, Deena; Easter, Elizabeth P.

doi:10.1007/s10694-014-0446-x

Cited by 32 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…This inverse result is not unexpected as mechanisms that may increase the insulative capacity of turnout gear can also reduce the total heat loss through the gear. For instance, McQuerry et al reported that TPP values for coats between 2 years and 10 years old were an average of 20% higher than their certification value, while over 55% of the specimens they tested that were 10 years old or less did not meet the 205 W/m 2 NFPA 1971 requirements [9]. Interestingly however, THL also declined for samples with the decontamination treatment (both EW and ED), even though TPP was not impacted.…”

Section: Thermal Performance Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Researchers at the University of Kentucky have gathered PPE from across the United States ranging from 2 to more than 20 years old [8,9]. Over 250 sets of gear were studied from career and volunteer firefighters, including garments that were between 2 years and 10 years old (Phases I and II) and those at least 10 years from the date of manufacture (Phase III).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impact of Repeated Exposure and Cleaning on Protective Properties of Structural Firefighting Turnout Gear

Horn

Kerber²,

Andrews

et al. 2020

Fire Technol

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The US fire service has become acutely aware of the need to clean PPE after fires. However, there is concern that damage from repeated cleaning may impact critical protection from fireground risk. Using a protocol that included repeated simulated fireground exposures (between 0 cycles and 40 cycles) and/or repeated cleaning with techniques common in the fire service, we found that several important protective properties of NFPA 1971 compliant turnout gear are significantly changed. Outer shell and thermal liner tear strength showed a statistically significant reduction when laundered as compared to wet or dry decontamination. Larger changes in outer shell tear strength resulted when the coat closure incorporated hook & dee clasps as compared with garments using zippered closures. Total Heat Loss was reduced for all samples that underwent any form of cleaning while Thermal Protective Performance was only increased in the gear that was laundered. These results suggest that some important protective properties of bunker gear can be decreased after repeated exposure/cleaning cycles relative to their levels when tested in a new condition. For the specific materials tested, outer shell trap tear strength in the fill direction and seam strength dropped below NFPA 1971 requirements after 40 laundering cycles. The findings for this study may have utility for setting preconditions for the measurement of certain performance properties in future editions of NFPA 1971.

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Section: Thermal Performance Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Repeated Exposure and Cleaning on Protective Properties of Structural Firefighting Turnout Gear

Horn

Kerber²,

Andrews

et al. 2020

Fire Technol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is vital to balance the protective function and comfort of the thermal-protective clothing, simultaneously with prolonging its service life. Designing fire protective gear after fully considered the thermal conditions that will be experienced by the clothing [58] and combining the configuration of fire-retardant fabrics and design of garment pattern, is necessary for improving the usability of the protective gear.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the Thermal-Protective Performance of Fire-Retardant Fabrics Considering Garment Aperture Structures Exposed to Flames

et al. 2020

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The application of fire-retardant fabrics is essential for providing thermal protective function of the garments. Appropriate clothing design are beneficial for preventing the wearers from skin burn injuries and heat strains simultaneously. The intention of this work was to investigate the effects of clothing ventilation designs on its thermal protective performance by bench-scale tests. Four boundary conditions were designed to simulate the garment aperture structures on fabric level. Tests of thermal shrinkage, mass loss and time-to-second-degree-burns were performed with and without air gap under three heat-flux levels for two kinds of inherently fire-retardant fabrics. The impacts of fabric type, heat-flux level, air gap and boundary condition were analyzed. The presence of a 6.4-mm air gap could improve thermal protective performance of the fabrics, however, the garment openings would decrease this positive effects. More severe thermal aging found for spaced test configuration indicated the importance of balancing the service life and thermal protective performance of the clothing. The findings of this study implied that the characteristics of fabric type, air gap, boundary condition, and their effects on fabric thermal aging should be considered during clothing ventilation designs, to balance the thermal protection and comfort of the protective gear.

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“…The method to determine the effects of thermal exposures on clothing performance generally involves two steps. First, either sampling from in-use/post-use clothing or conducting laboratory tests on fabric level to simulate the thermal exposures in the field (McQuerry et al, 2015). Second, evaluating the properties of the fabric sample and comparing with new fabrics or standard requirements.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitatively evaluating the effects of flash fire exposure on the mechanical performance of thermal protective clothing

Deng

Tian

Wang

et al. 2020

IJCST

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the effect of flash fire exposure on the mechanical properties of single-layer thermal protective clothing. Design/methodology/approach The full-scale flame manikin tests were performed to simulate flash fire exposure. Two typical fire-resistant fabrics were investigated. The manikin was divided into seven body parts and the specimens meeting the requirements of tensile and tear strength standards were sampled. Fabric thickness, mass per unit area, tensile strength and tear strength were measured and analyzed. Findings The results revealed the significant influence of heat flux on both of tensile and tear strength. However, the regression analysis indicated the low R2 of the liner models. When the tensile and tear strength retention were reorganized based on the body parts, both of the multiple linear regression models for tensile and tear strength showed higher R2 than the one-variable linear regressions. Furthermore, the R2 of the multiple linear regression model for tear strength retention was remarkably higher than that of the tensile strength. Practical implications The findings suggested that greater attention should be paid to the local part of human body and more factors such as the air gap should be considered in the future thermal aging of firefighters’ clothing studies. Originality/value The outcomes provided useful information to evaluate the mechanical properties of thermal protective clothing and predict its service life.

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A Post-use Evaluation of Turnout Gear Using NFPA 1971 Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and NFPA 1851 on Selection, Care and Maintenance

Cited by 32 publications

References 3 publications

Impact of Repeated Exposure and Cleaning on Protective Properties of Structural Firefighting Turnout Gear

Impact of Repeated Exposure and Cleaning on Protective Properties of Structural Firefighting Turnout Gear

Investigating the Thermal-Protective Performance of Fire-Retardant Fabrics Considering Garment Aperture Structures Exposed to Flames

Quantitatively evaluating the effects of flash fire exposure on the mechanical performance of thermal protective clothing

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