Performance analysis of fire protective clothing: a review.

Abstract

Firefighters in such serious environments (i.e., hazardous flames and radiant heat, high air temperatures, hot chemicals and liquids) must wear fire protective clothing during fire extinguishing and rescue operations. Many studies in the field of fire protective clothing have been conducted to evaluate the protective, mechanical and comfort performance of fire protective clothing. A comprehensive review of the literature has been undertaken to provide a better understanding of single-layer and multilayer fire protective clothing with protective, mechanical and comfort performance. Factors affecting the durability of protective clothing in the light of their expected retirement age and a number of significant standards for laboratory and manikin testing are discussed. The comfort of wearing clothing is another aspect that needs special consideration when designing a multilayered fire protective suit. A number of emerging technologies have been outlined to address the various challenges of the present day.