Question: How often does PPE failure cause a firefighter injury, fatality or near miss?
Answer: Very rarely. In reviewing the NIOSH line-of-duty-death (LODD) investigative reports, we seldom find PPE as a contributing factor. And very few people question the protective qualities of our structural PPE. In this article, we’ll review some of the reasons behind our PPE successes and address areas for further improvement.
PPE Testing
Without a doubt, fire service PPE successfully protects us because of 1) our minimum design standards and, more importantly, 2) how our gear is tested. Few firefighters are aware of the many tests involved in ensuring that our PPE performs as well as it does; if they were, they would have a greater appreciation for their PPE and a stronger desire to keep it properly cleaned and maintained.
NFPA 1971: Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Clothing, is the standard comprising the design and testing criteria for structural firefighting PPE (excluding SCBA and PASS devices). Specifically, it covers protective coats and trousers, helmets, hoods, gloves and boots. In “NFPA-eze,” these parts are referred to as “elements” and, collectively, these items are referred to as the “ensemble.” The number of tests for each element is as follows:
- Protective coats and trousers: 22
- Helmets: 19
- Gloves: 18
- Boots: 19
- Hoods: 7
The majority of the tests involve each element’s strength and resistance to heat. Note: A complete list of the tests can be found in the annex of the standard. To underscore the importance of testing, chapter eight is devoted entirely to test methods.
Needed: A Better Understanding
Very little information or detail is available to fire departments to help them understand how the PPE tests relate to the ensemble’s performance. Twenty-two years ago, FEMA published a 115-page document entitled “Minimum Standards on Structural Fire Fighting Protective Clothing and Equipment: A Guide for Fire Service Education and Procurement.” Unfortunately, like many government reports, it was not widely disseminated among the fire service; however, the document was an excellent source of information about PPE and the procurement process. It’s time for an updated tool that fire departments can use to better understand the testing. This tool should be made readily accessible to the fire service–and members of the fire service should be well aware that it exists.
There’s one statement in the introduction of that FEMA document that’s as applicable today as it was in 1992. It reads: “To ensure adequate protection, clothing and equipment must be selected on the basis of performance. Design is critical, but design alone cannot address how clothing will protect the wearer in a fire environment. Because the fire environment poses a number of hazards to the firefighter and because the ability of clothing or equipment to protect a wearer under these circumstances is a complex question, performance criteria offer the best means for ensuring minimum protection. Standards that are comprehensive in nature, encompassing performance requirements based on qualified test methods or evaluation protocols, ease the difficulty in the selection of protective clothing and equipment for fire fighters. When selected clothing or equipment items comply with a comprehensive performance standard, the fire fighter can be assured that the item has met performance criteria which will offer a minimum level of protection.”
A department still must evaluate its specific needs to match gear to those needs, but without a defined minimum level of protection and test procedures that correlate to the fire environment, there’s little hope of buying gear appropriate for your department needs.
Developing Test Methods
The process of developing test methods is quite complex; getting “down in the weeds” is an appropriate way to describe it. The NFPA technical committees responsible for developing and revising firefighter PPE standards have “picked quite a few nits” through the years. The committees struggle to come up with tests that replicate the conditions that firefighters encounter. The issue is so complex that the NFPA recently considered the establishment of a separate technical committee just to oversee fire fighter PPE test methods. After consideration, it decided not to go that route and is revising the way test methods are reviewed and developed by each of the technical committees.
For a test method to be validated, it must have very tight parameters so the test can be repeated with the same results among different testing laboratories. The fire service benefits greatly from the repeatability of test methods. If the test methods were loosely worded, a manufacturer could choose a testing lab that provided favorable results for their product whereas other labs might fail the product. The issue is so complex that the NFPA is evaluating the need for a separate technical committee solely dedicated to the development and revision of test methods within the overall NFPA PPE project. This repeatability issue is one of the underlying reasons why firefighter PPE products must be certified by an independent, third-party testing lab.
Third-Party Certification
Prior to 1991, independent, third-party certification was not required. (Note: Today’s firefighters are the first generation to have worn third-party certified PPE for their entire career.) Since 1991, the NFPA PPE technical committees have taken third-party certification very seriously. For example, all of the NFPA PPE standards have an entire chapter dedicated to third-party certification. Each standard goes into great detail about the qualifications of the certifying organization, stating that a certifying organization must be accredited for PPE in accordance with ISO Guide 65: General Requirements for Bodies Operating Product Certification Systems; there are also requirements for recertification, factory inspections, manufacturers’ quality assurance programs, investigation of complaints and returns, as well as manufacturers’ safety alerts and recalls.
If an element of PPE includes the certifying organization’s label (including logo) on it, then that particular element meets or exceeds the minimum design, performance and related requirements of the standard. To further illustrate the importance of certification, each of the NFPA PPE standards also has an entire chapter devoted to labels.
Room for Improvement
As stated in the title of this article, our PPE is very good quality. (Understandably, many firefighters think it’s overly protective.) But there are several areas that could use improvement. For example, electronics, such as effective physiological monitoring, would be a big step forward for the fire service. Other critical issues need attention as well, such as the interface areas (e.g., the coat collar/hood/helmet and the coat sleeve/gloves). Plenty of anecdotal evidence indicates that more firefighter burns occur in and around the face area than any other part of the body, and it remains to be seen if and how this issue will be addressed. The Swedish fire service has apparently solved this issue by reshaping the helmet. This allows the hood, which is attached to the coat, to be deployed over the helmet. This solution may have trade-offs, but that kind of thinking might be what we need if the American fire service is serious about minimizing burns to the neck, face and head.
Another need is to find a way to transition from component testing to full ensemble testing. Currently, all but one of the NFPA 1971 tests are applied to the materials and elements rather than the entire ensemble. The only total ensemble test is the shower test, which tests for overall liquid penetration. It has long been a desire of the NFPA technical committee to develop ensemble testing because it better relates to field use; however, the cost of such testing is extremely high and there are almost an infinite number of ensembles available. It appears required ensemble testing will remain only a desire, but the concept should stay on our radar.
Taking the Bad with the Good
Unfortunately, the positive aspects of our PPE ensemble can create negative aspects. This is especially true when it comes to keeping the body’s core temperature at normal levels. Firefighting PPE contributes to heat exhaustion and heart attacks. This is not a newly discovered problem and there have been measures taken through the years to minimize the risks of overheating the body. The total heat loss (THL) rating of protective garments is one example. In 2000, the NFPA introduced a test that measures the evaporative heat transfer through structural garments. The minimum requirement was set at a heat loss of 130 W/m2. With the 2007 revision to NFPA 1971, the minimum requirement was raised to 205 W/m2, where it remains in the current 2013 revision.
There are several research projects currently dedicated to this issue. We are aware of one PPE pioneer who has assembled a team in hopes of bringing a product to market that provides real-time cooling. The team is seeking funds to conduct human testing to validate the product’s cooling properties. If funding can be obtained, the product could be ready for the market relatively quickly.
Another project: North Carolina State University’s Textile Performance and Comfort Center (T-PACC) team has recently received an AFG grant titled “Revolutionizing the Modern Turnout Suit: Technical Basis for Redesigning Structural Firefighter Protective Ensembles for Reduced Heat Stress.” This is a three-year project that has just begun under the auspices of the NFPA Fire Protection Research Foundation. As with all NFPA Research Foundation projects, a project technical panel (with fire service input) will serve in an advisory capacity. It is anticipated that prototype ensembles will be developed before the project ends.
The Need to Know More
As pointed out earlier in this article, the fire service needs a better understanding of PPE testing, but it also needs further education on the hazards of dirty and contaminated PPE. Far too many fire departments and firefighters are either unaware of the hazards or fail to acknowledge the risks. The more we learn about the risks of repeatedly using dirty and/or contaminated PPE, the more we need to educate the wearer. Note: There’s much to be learned and shared about implementing a program on the selection, cleaning, drying, inspection, repair, retirement and record-keeping of a department’s PPE. To assist in this endeavor, the Fire Industry Equipment Research Organization (F.I.E.R.O.) has recently developed regional workshops. The first one was held on May 21 at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Fire Research Center. For information on future workshops, visit www.fireppeworkshop.com.
The NFPA is also working to better educate firefighters on PPE issues. Regarding the various PPE tests, the NFPA technical committee responsible for NFPA 1971 assigned a task group to develop a stand-alone annex for the next revision of the standard. Note: The annex (formerly called appendix) is found at the back of the standard. Annexes provide explanatory material about the requirements within the standard. Unfortunately, it will probably be 2018 before the next revision is published, but the task group is hopeful it can publish YouTube videos that explain the tests in the current standard before the release of the revised standard.
Where to Go for More Info
For real insight into the world of firefighter PPE, be sure to attend the 2015 F.I.E.R.O. Fire PPE Symposium, held March 16—18 at the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel in Raleigh, N.C. The symposium will bring together the PPE industry in an educational environment that will include presentations by industry experts, opportunities to network and a full exhibit area. One highlight of the symposium will be a tour of North Carolina State University’s Textile Protection and Comfort Center (T-PACC) within the College of Textiles on the Centennial campus. T-PACC is an organization that’s pioneering the development and testing of fire service PPE. Attendees will see how fabrics are made, some of the fire service test methods and non-NFPA related testing. For information and registration, go to www.fireppesymposium.com.
