- Author
-
New South Wales Department of Bush Fire Services
- Title
- Evaluation of Firefighters Protective Clothing. 2nd Interim Report.
- Coporate
- Department of Bush Fire Services, New South Wales, Australia
- Report
-
2nd Interim Report
September 1996
115 p.
- Keywords
-
protective clothing
|
fire fighters
|
fire fighting
|
flammability
|
heat flux
|
garments
|
comfort
|
laundering
|
expsoure time
|
heat stress
|
fabrics
- Identifiers
- radiant heat flux; metabolic heat; Thermo Man; gas release; burn data; Thermal Protective Performance (TPP)
- Abstract
- Protective clothing for firefighters is a compromise between providing adequate protection from the radiant heat of the fire while allowing the maximum release or escape of metabolic heat from the firefighter. The amount of metablic heat generated by the firefighter is affected by the level of activity, environmental conditions, and the design of the garment. The issue of heat stress appears to be regarded by some fire agencies and parts of the ISO drafts are placing the emphasis for firefighter safety on Thermal Protective Performance (TPP). Fire agencies need to take a close look at their injury and death statistics to identify what threat their firefighters actually face. Australian statistics over recent years do not link firefighter injury to the failure of the garments' fiber composition or current TPP levels. Australian fire agencies have, up to now, been managing very effectively the issue of heat stress and Thermal Protective Performance. There is a perceived need by some fire agencies to increase TPP levels of garments worn as the only way to ensure maximum protection for firefighters. This perception should be carefully considered before any increased TPP levels are implemented.