- Author
- Stull, J. O. | Duffy, R. M.
- Title
- Field Evaluation of Protective Clothing Effects on Fire Fighter Physiology: Predictive Capability of Total Heat Loss Test.
- Coporate
- International Personnel Protection Inc., Austin, TX International Association of Fire Fighters, Washington, DC
- Report
- ASTM STP 1386,
- Book or Conf
- Performance of Protective Clothing: Issues and Priorities for the 21st Century. Proceedings. Seventh (7th) Volume. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). ASTM STP 1386. June 28-30, 1999, ASTM, West Conshohocken, PA, Seattle, WA, Nelson, C. N.; Henry, N. W., Editors, 481-503 p., 2000
- Keywords
- protective clothing | protective equipment | fire fighters | physiology | heat loss | heat stress | physiological effects | field tests | temperature | skin (human) | garments | NFPA 1971 | tests | statistical analysis
- Identifiers
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); physiological testing; core temperature; skin temperature; heart rate; subjective ratings; total heat loss test; fire fighter test subject; measurement of ensemble material characteristics; development of work protocols; overall study design philosophy; fire fighter test subject characteristics; clothing material system characteristics; average physiological and subjective responses (by ensemble); regression analysis for determining most significant variables
- Abstract
- The physiological effects of clothing comprising seven different material systems with a range of total heat loss values from 96.5 to 439 W/m were measured. Two different 1-hour work protocols were established for simulating both a vehicle extrication activity and the fire ground operations of a ladder company. Each work protocol used a series of different physical tasks involving varying levels of work but characterized overall to be in the moderate to high work levels. The study employed seven fire fighter test subjects who were instrumented for continuous, real-time monitoring of core temperature, skin temperature, and heart rate through a telemetry system. Data were collected every nine seconds for each of the 98 separate evaluations. The test subject nude weight loss and clothing system weight gain were also measured. The participating fire fighters rated the individual clothing systems subjectively for different characteristics during the work period.