• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.93-103
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• 1997

The purpose of this study was to investigate the actual performance of Korean firefighter's clothing through comparisons with protective clothing used in the United State, surveys of firefighter's opinion, and experiments on the material used in Korean firefighter's clothing. The paper presents experimental results as well as ways to improve current standards. The major results are as follows: 1. Korean protective clothing is too thin and too heavy. Thicker, lighter, and more heat- resistant fabric and a lighter trim should be used. 2. Korean protective clothing is not very water-resistant. A Water-resistant outershell and an innerliner which are made of air permeable and water resistant fabric must be used. 3. Korean protective clothing's outershell and innerliner should be made of fabric that is more heat-resistant, flame-resistant, and chemical resistant. 4. Protective clothing should be more brightly colored and its reflective tape should have greater reflectivity to make firefighters more visible. 5. The fastner currently used in Korean protective clothing consists of Velcro, a button, and a D-ring which can not be opened and closed quickly. A better fastener would have just velcro and a zipper. 6. The uniform for Korean firefighters consists of only a protective coat and boots. Protective trousers should be added to the standard uniform. Also, a thermal harrier should be used in winter to protect firefighters from the cold. 7. Korean firefighters should be provided with their own personal sets of protective clothing to ensure a proper fit.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.4 no.6
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• pp.564-566
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• 2002

Protective clothing for firefighters typically consists of a flame resistant outer shell and inner layers. The inner layers are generally composed of a moisture barrier and a thermal barrier. On performing the task in fire place the heat and perspiration generated from the body become trapped inside the protective clothing. Those heat and moisture result into heat-stress and physical fatigue of fire fighter, which hinder the work. Therefore, the system of clothing designs and material layers must be chosen carefully to balance protection and comfort. 3 kinds of protective clothing of 3 layer structure were used in the experiment of physiological comfort. From the comparison of wear trials with the 3 kinds of layers in firefighters clothing, it indicates that the moisture dissipation of A+B2+C was highest, following A+BI+C andA+B3+C. And the heat dissipation of A+BI+C and A+B2+C were better than A+B3+C. In the protective clothing with A+B3+C, heat and perspiration generated through exercise remained in clothing system long and caused discomfort.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.58 no.9
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• pp.166-175
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• 2008

For the structural firefighting protective clothing, it can show a synergy effect when it satisfies smart fabric to block off a harmful environmental element and ergonomics design that apply range of motion of human body and appropriate size system. There are various standards about the structural firefighting protective clothing, but it's difficult to find a rule about movement suitability because the performance of the material holds a lot of the rules. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to propose a scheme to evaluate the current structural firefighting protective clothing and to improve movement suitability by research on the actual condition. For this, the survey about wearer acceptability scale on design and size and about improvement requirements was executed gathering firefighters' opinion. Questionnaire was composed with 23 items about satisfaction on current structural firefighting protective clothing, body suitability, movement suitability, improvement requirement and subjective information. As a results, Korean firefighters demand ergonomics design of structural firefighting protective clothing which to minimize restriction of body movement and to maximize body suitability.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.635-645
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• 2015

This study analyzed the range of motion of upper body in different configurations of firefighters' protective clothing and equipment. The purpose of this study was to understand the influence of firefighters' protective clothing and equipment over upper body motion in order to improve design of firefighters' protective clothing and equipment. 12 firefighters' upper body range of motion was analyzed while performing standing and walking trials in five different garment configurations including turnout ensemble, fire boots and the self-contained breathing apparatus. Analysis of upper body range of motion included spinal joints of L5S1, L4L3, T1C7, and C1Head. During standing trials, garment configurations caused a significant difference in range of motions at joints of L5S1, L4L3, T1C7, and C1Head. Analysis on the mean of range of motions at L5S1 and L4L3, showed that firefighters' waist bent forward significantly to a greater extent while they wore a self-contained breathing apparatus. A significantly increased range of motion was found for T1C7 and C1Head while carrying a self-contained breathing apparatus, which indicated an increase in the extension of the trunk and neck backward to stand upright and look squarely. A significant difference in range of motion was also found for L5S1 and L4L3 during walking trials.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.606-617
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• 2019

The present study newly developed a firefighters' protective jacket and pants using a Nomex honeycomb structured layer (HPC) in cases of being exposed to flashover or flameover. This study evaluated the protective and comfort functions of an HPC compared to the current KFI firefighters' protective clothing (FPC). The results are as follows. First, thermal protective performance (TPP) of fabric layers was 2.75 times greater for HPC than FPC at $125kW/m^2$. Second, the predicted second and third degree burn areas were smaller for HPC than FPC when using a flame manikin. Third, thermal insulation using a thermal manikin was 0.2 clo greater for HPC than FPC. Fourth, there were no marked differences in maximal performance, mobility, and microclimate temperature/humidity between FPC and HPC through human wear trials. The thermal insulation of HPC was higher than that of FPC; however, any negative effect of HPC thermal insulation on the comfort functions for firefighters was not found. In conclusion, the newly-developed HPC provided more protection in reducing burn injuries from $125kW/m^2$, while no negative impact on maximal performance, mobility and thermal comfort functions of firefighters, which is appropriate for quick-evasive tactics at the flashover, flameover or back draft fires.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.468-472
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• 2018

Background: Firefighters are required to use self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), which impairs ventilatory mechanics. We hypothesized that firefighters have elevated arterial $CO_2$ when using SCBA. Methods: Firefighters and controls performed a maximal exercise test on a cycle ergometer and two graded exercise tests (GXTs) at 25%, 50%, and 70% of their maximal aerobic power, once with a SCBA facemask and once with protective clothing and full SCBA. Results: Respiratory rate increased more in controls than firefighters. Heart rate increased as a function of oxygen consumption ($V_{O_2}$) more in controls than firefighters. End-tidal $CO_2$ ($ETCO_2$) during the GXTs was not affected by work rate in either group for either condition but was higher in firefighters at all work rates in both GXTs. SCBA increased $ETCO_2$ in controls but not firefighters. Conclusions: The present study showed that when compared to controls, firefighters' hypoventilate during a maximal test and GXT. The hypoventilation resulted in increased $ETCO_2$, and presumably increased arterial $CO_2$, during exertion. It is proposed that firefighters have altered $CO_2$ sensitivity due to voluntary hypoventilation during training and work. Confirmation of low $CO_2$ sensitivity and the consequence of this on performance and long-term health remain to be determined.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.81-88
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• 2018

Air and ultra lightweight aerogels were used to lighten the weight of the firefighters' protective clothing. In order to lighten the firefighters' protective clothing composed of 3 layers (outer shell, mid-layer, lining), it was most effective to replace the lining which occupied the largest weight in the total weight with the new materials. Thermal protective performance tests were carried out on flame (ASTM D 4108), radiant heat (KS K ISO 6942) and mixing heat (KS K ISO 17492) of flame and radiation. When the lining felt was replaced with an air layer, the air layer must be at least 3 mm to meet the KFI and ISO standards for the thermal protective performance. However, even if the thickness of the air layer increased to 10 mm, the thermal protective performance was lower than that of the existing products. When the felt was replaced with aerogels, the TPP rating (ASTM D 4108) satisfied the KFI standard at the 2 mm thickness of the aerogels. When the thickness of the aerogels was 3 mm, the TPP rating was improved about 140% compared to the existing products. It was confirmed that not only weight reduction but also thermal protective performance was improved by use of aerogels. However, due to the fragile nature of aerogels, a method of fixing them to a constant thickness between layers constituting a firefighters' protective clothing should be considered in the future.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.520-533
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• 2023

The present study developed a test protocol for evaluating the mobility of firefighting chemical and flame personal protective equipment (PPE) for the National 119 Rescue Headquarters in Korea and suggested ergonomic design factors to improve their mobility and performance. Six types of PPE were employed, including three types for flame protective PPE (5 ~ 6 kg excluding the self-contained breathing apparatus), and three types for chemical and flame protective PPE (8 ~ 11 kg). These PPEs are used by the 119 Rescue firefighters. Three male firefighters (34.3 ± 1.2 y in age, 175 ± 8 cm in height, 81 ± 13 kg in body weight) participated in the mobility test and interview. A mobility test protocol consisting of 16 components (nine postures and seven motions including a dexterity test) along with a visibility test were developed based on pre-interviews and literature reviews. The findings indicated that the clothing microclimate humidity on the neck and chest exceeded 85%RH on average for all the six PPE conditions, with the chest area reaching as high as 98%RH. This high humidity caused fogging inside the visor and impaired visibility. The requirements for improving the PPE design in terms of mobility varied depending on whether it was the separated types or all-in-one types, particularly regarding the hood and gloves design. The findings of this study can be applied to improve the design of Level A_PPE for firefighters. The mobility test protocol and visibility test developed in this study can also be applied to other types of Level A impermeable PPE.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.109-121
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• 2012

This study aims at developing ergonomics patterns for the sleeve of structural firefighting protective clothing through 3D motion analysis in order to ensure efficiency and safety of firefighters who are exposed to harmful environment at work. A new research pattern was developed by applying the total results of 3D motion analysis, changes of body surface length measurements, and 2D data on 3D body shape analysis on the size 3 patterns of the existing coat sleeve. For the sleeves, we used the body surface length of the range of shoulder's flexion and the joint angle of the range of wrist's ulnar deviation. And for the production of structural firefighting protective clothing using the research pattern, we recruited a recognized producer of structural firefighting protective clothing designated by KFI. Unlike everyday clothes, structural firefighting protective clothing should be able to fully protect the wearers from the harmful environment that threatens their lives and should not cause any restrictions on their movement. Therefore, the focus of research and development of such protective clothing should be placed on consistent development of new technologies and production methods that will provide protection and comfort for the wearer rather than production cost reduction or operational efficiency. This study is meaningful as it applied 3D motion analysis instead of the existing methods to develop the patterns. In particular, since 3D motion analysis enables the measurement of the range of motion, there should be continuous research on the development of ergonomics patterns that consider workers' range of motion.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.182-194
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• 2022

Objectives: This study evaluates and recommends the priority of policy implementation to improve the fire protection clothing management system used by firefighters and the reduction of cross-contamination from contaminated clothing at the scene of a fire. Methods: It consisted of 7 experts and conducted three interviews and two modified Delphi surveys. Through the results of previous research and interviews with experts, a plan to reduce cross-contamination of fire suits and improve the management system was first derived. An improvement plan was presented in the four areas including resources, management, fire protection related work, and laws and regulations, and the priority of policy implementation was derived by analyzing the importance and practicality of the policy at the same time. Results: As a result of the analysis, the first priority was education on the health effects of pollutants at the disaster scene for firefighters, and the second priority was the addition of SOP for the primary decontamination of on-scene personal protective equipment in preparation for the health effects of the disaster scene, and education for fire suppression and rescue workers. The next step was to improve the management system of personal protective equipment such as fire suits and develop a training course for systematic operation. Conclusions: This findings could be used in the implementation of mid- to long-term firefighting policies for the systematic operation and establishment of a systematic management system for personal protective equipment such as fire protective suits.