- Author
-
Anderson, L.
- Title
- Wildland Fire Shelter Redesign. BFRL Fire Research Seminar. VHS Video.
- Coporate
- Missoula Technology and Development Center, MT
- Report
-
Video
April 27, 2000
- Keywords
-
wildland fires
|
protective equipment
|
fire fighters
|
flame contact test
- Abstract
- The fire shelter is a mandatory item of personal protective equipment for all Federal wildland firefighters and must be carried on the fireline by everyone on Federal Fires. The shelter has saved the lives of more than 250 firefighters and has prevented hundreds of serious injuries and illnesses from burns and smoke inhalation. But, the current fire shelter will not protect firefighters in all fire situations. It is made of a laminate of aluminum foil and fiberglass cloth. It offers good protection against radiant heat, but is quickly damaged by direct flame contact. Tests have shown that under some conditions, the glue in the laminate can offgas to the inside of the shelter and that, given an ignition source, these gases can ignite and burn. The Missoula Technology and Development Center (USDA Forest Service), has recently been charged with designing a new fire shelter. The April 27 discussion will include a description of the current shelter design and of tests performed to learn more about the fire environment to which the shelters are exposed. We will review design constraints and then hope to open the discussion up for comments and suggestions. We are particularly interested in alternate materials and designs that meet our constraints.