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Published on: October 3, 2016
A CB protective firefighter turnout suit.
Roger Barker1, Shawn Deaton, Gail Liston
1Center for Research on Textile Protection and Comfort, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8301, USA. roger_barker@ncsu.edu
Summary
Researchers developed an integrated chemical and biological (CB) protective firefighter suit prototype. This study details the design, development, and evaluation process, focusing on firefighter needs for enhanced structural turnout gear.
Area of Science:
- Protective clothing technology
- Firefighter safety systems
- Human factors engineering
Background:
- Structural firefighting turnout gear offers limited chemical and biological protection.
- Existing protective suits do not adequately address integrated chemical protection needs.
- End-user requirements are critical for effective protective ensemble design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a prototype chemical and biological (CB) protective firefighter suit.
- To demonstrate an integrated systems approach for designing protective clothing ensembles.
- To evaluate the impact of design features on firefighter performance, heat stress, comfort, and ergonomics.
Main Methods:
- End-user requirement analysis for structural turnout suits with chemical protection.
- Design and development of prototype garment features.
- Performance characterization through instrumented fire manikin tests.
- Man-in-stimulant test procedures for ensemble evaluation.
- Studies on heat stress, wear comfort, and ergonomic function.
Main Results:
- A prototype CB protective firefighter suit was successfully developed.
- Integrated design approach successfully incorporated end-user requirements.
- Performance evaluations characterized the protective ensemble's capabilities.
- Impact of design features on heat stress, comfort, and ergonomics was assessed.
Conclusions:
- The integrated systems approach is effective for designing advanced protective firefighter gear.
- The prototype suit addresses critical needs for combined structural and CB protection.
- Further research can optimize firefighter protection, comfort, and performance.
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