BY MEREDITH McQUERRY, ROGER BARKER, ALEXANDER HUMMEL, and SHAWN DEATON
Recent research at North Carolina State University (NCSU) aims to determine the direct impact of additional layers and thickness or bulk on the thermal protection and heat loss qualities of structural firefighter turnout suits. The “Revolutionary Modern Turnout Suit” project, sponsored by the United States Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, is exploring new design features and material innovations to reduce the incidence of heat stress among firefighters. Currently, more firefighters are experiencing injury and even death from exhaustion and heat stress than from burn injuries.
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1971, Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Firefighting (2013 ed.), requires thermal protective performance (TPP) and total heat loss (THL) evaluations for new, unused turnout materials. The TPP is an evaluation of the material’s thermal protection, whereas THL is a measure of the fabric’s breathability or comfort. These two measures are inversely proportional to one another; thicker, heavier materials provide better TPP results, but lighter, thinner materials are ideal for THL.
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