Thermal Performance and Limitations of Bunker Gear.
Thermal Performance and Limitations of Bunker Gear.
(5773 K)
Lawson, J. R.
Fire Engineering, Vol. 151, No. 8,
37,40,42,44,46,50-52,55-56, August 1998.
Keywords:
protective clothing; fire fighting; fire fighters; burn
injuries; thermal burns; NFPA 1971; skin (human);
moisture; garments
Abstract:
Structural firefighters' protective clothing is designed
to protect its wearers from the thermal environments
experienced during firefighting. This includes
protection from thermal radiation, hot gas convection,
and heat conducted from hot surfaces. Protective
clothing may respond differently to each of these three
modes of heat transfer (radiation, convection, and
conduction). Firefighters may receive serious burn
injuries from each of these modes of heat transfer or a
combination of them even though they are wearing
protective clothing and may be a significant distance
from a fire. The reason for this is that protective
clothing has definite physical limits to its ability to
protect the wearer. All thermal protective clothing has
these limits, which are measurable. A working
firefighter may not recognize these critical limits
until he is already experiencing a burn injury.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899