Characterizing the Tensile Strength of the Fabrics Used in Firefighters’ Bunker Gear under Radiant Heat Exposure

Abstract

More than 60,000 firefighters’ injuries were reported by the National Fire Protection Association in the U.S. in 2019. Inadequate protection by bunker gear could be a reason for most of the injuries. Firefighters repeatedly encounter thermal hazards due to their job responsibilities. Degradation could occur on bunker gear fabric during thermal exposure. It has been found that the presence of moisture affects performance as well, which may come from wearers’ sweat. Proper evaluation of the tensile strength of the fabrics used in bunker gear could provide information essential for maintenance the overall integrity of the gear. An evaluation of the tensile strength of fabrics when exposed to 10, 15, and 20 kW/m2 radiant heat flux in the presence of moisture is reported. In each fabric system, a total of sixty-four different samples were prepared for four different types of fabric and four levels of moisture which were exposed to three different radiant heat flux for five minutes. Heat flux and moisture levels have significant impact on tensile strength. The effect of moisture on tensile strength in a three-layered fabric system is higher than that for a single layer fabric. An understanding of the impact of heat and moisture on fabric strength has been achieved.

A review on volatilization of flame retarding compounds from polymeric textile materials used in firefighter protective garment

“…49,50 Some of firefighting garments have shown to lose their strength even at lower heat flux of 10 kW m --2 . 9 McCarthy and Di Marzo 47 also observed that with intense heat flux (20 kW m --2 ) firefighter protective gear experiences degradation even at extreme short durations as 30-second exposure. However, aramid fibres, which are the main material for bunker gear, are reported to start failing to provide thermal protection when exposed to 600–800°C due to their decomposition behaviour.…”

“…9,16 The multi-layer system is designed to increase the overall thickness and consequently improves the protection against low-level radiant heat exposure. 9,18 Firefighter protective clothing has recently received growing attention because of the extreme thermal exposures commonly exposed to and the need to provide firefighters protection in those conditions.…”

“…In the past decade, there has been great interest in the research of firefighter gear thermal performance and the thermal environments experienced by firefighters. 1,3,9,11,14,16,22–24 However, much of the firefighter protective clothing studies have focused on conditions firefighters find themselves in extreme conditions, such as being engulfed in fire. 25 These conditions generally result in life-threatening injuries and/or death.…”

“…For example, in the United States, 69,400 firefighters were reported to be injured and 97 died in various fire incidents in 2012, and over 60,000 injuries in 2019 occurred in the line of duty. 1,9 In China, over 300 firefighters are injured or disabled because of the protective gear failure under extreme fire conditions. 10 Firefighter’s protective gear provides a shield and acts as the first line of defence against flames, heat, smoke, steam and hazardous chemicals.…”

Firefighters’ exposure to per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as an occupational hazard: A review

“…Injuries caused due to the thermal and thermo-physiological comfort hazards during the firefighting are common among the firefighters (Mandal et al, 2021;Mazumder, 2021;Mazumder et al, 2022). In addition to thermal and thermo-physiological comfort hazards, exposure to harmful chemicals that may contribute to the increased cancer risk has become an increasing concern in the firefighting community (Trowbridge et al, 2020;Muensterman et al, 2021).…”