[Personal Protection] Development of Fire-fighting Fire Services in the United States in 2014

Abstract: The basic contents of U.S. extinguishing fire service standards for thermal and moisture comfort evaluation methods and performance requirements, different pairs U.S. extinguishing fire fighting clothing are classified by function, and the fire service of the fabric, design, function design and The four aspects of weight, including the development status of fire fighting suits in the United States, and their development

Keywords: fire extinguishing fire fighting clothing; thermal and humid comfort; smart fabric; 3D textile

DuPont carbon fiber fire protection clothing

Fire-fighting fire-fighting clothing is one of the important equipments for protecting the personal safety of firefighters who are active in the frontline of fire protection. It is an essential personal protective guardian for each first-line fire brigade. It is an indispensable essential item for fire rescue sites. At the scene of a bad fire, various emergencies may threaten the safety of firefighters at any time. It is especially important to strengthen the personal protection of firefighters. Fire-fighting fire-fighting clothing is a clothing designed to protect firefighters against fire and other disasters. The design of high-performance fire fighting clothing not only reduces the heat pressure for the wearer, but also provides the wearer with advanced personal protection under a series of operating conditions, which effectively improves the operational efficiency and personal protection level of firefighters in combat and rescue operations.

1 US fire fighting fire service standards

The relevant standards for fire fighting fire fighting clothing are used to regulate the performance technical requirements and testing methods of fire fighting fire fighting clothing. The United States uses NFPA 1971-2007 “Building Fire and Near Fire Fire Protection Equipment Standards” formulated by the National Fire Protection Association of the country.

1.1 Standard of Fire Fighting Fire Service

The National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 1971-2007 “Standard for Building Fire and Near Fire Combat Equipment” is a national standard, and it is regarded as the minimum standard for extinguishing fire fighting clothing. The standard does not apply to chemical, biochemical and radiation-related accident rescue use, but also does not apply to the protection of head, hands and feet. In the composition of the fabric, the standard is not strictly stipulated. It only requires that the garment can meet the performance requirements specified in the standard. It can be made of composite materials, or it can be combined with multiple layers of fabrics. The NFPA 1971-2007 standard also stipulates and stipulates the design of clothing models, label signs, hardware, and styles. It is particularly pointed out that the design of clothing styles should follow the principle of ergonomics, and the performance test is given in the appendix to the standard. method. Therefore, U.S. products have higher requirements for accessories, product comfort and product suitability.

1.2 Criteria for the evaluation of thermal and wet comfort and performance requirements

The US Standard for Building Fire and Near-Fire Combat Equipment requires that the THL (Total Heat Dissipation Loss) value of a fire-retardant fire-retardant multi-layer fabric combination be not less than 205 W/m2, and the test method should refer to ASTM F 1868-2002. The measurement-sweating hot plate method uses a sweating hot plate test system to measure the wet resistance and thermal resistance of a fabric, and then calculates the evaluation index of comprehensive heat/wet physiological comfort. U.S. standards fully consider dry/hot and heat-dissipating conditions, and use THL as an evaluation index to measure the overall heat-dissipation performance of multi-layer fabric combinations, which can objectively reflect the overall comfort of fire-fighting and fire-fighting clothing.

2 Status of United States Fire Fighting Fire Service

2.1 Classification of Fire Services

Protective clothing must meet new requirements for protection and prevention of chemical and biological threats while minimizing thermal stress and providing good ergonomic features. At present, the United States is divided into four types of fire service suits, namely large-capacity fire extinguishing kits, structural fire fighting suits, technical rescue fire fighting suits and wasteland fire fighting suits. The large-capacity fire extinguishing kit is designed for use in high-displacement pump cars and other water environments in emergencies. Highly innovative, large-capacity fire fighting suits are light and breathable, providing protection against inclement weather and other water conditions. The structure fire extinguishing fire suit has the advantages of light weight, good comfort, thermal stress prevention and flame prevention performance. Technical rescue firefighting firefighting clothing is also called urban search and rescue firefighting firefighting clothing. It is a specialized clothing used in non-structural firefighting situations. The suit is used in a multi-tasking combination and is suitable for a variety of operations, including confined space operations, road traffic accidents, urban search and rescue and wasteland and flood fighting, high volume pumps and rope rescue operations. The design of wasteland firefighting and fire protection equipment provides firefighters with protection in wasteland areas, such as heathlands, bushes and forest fires. The wasteland fire fighting suits need to provide maximum heat and flame protection, light weight and good comfort, so that the firefighters can work for a long time near the heat source and the fire source.

2.2 Development status of fire-fighting fire service in the US

The fire service clothing introduced here refers to the fire service worn during general firefighting and rescue operations. American fire service styles are split, including tops and pants.

2.2.1 Fabrics

The fabric composition of most products is a multilayer fabric structure consisting of an outer fabric, a sandwich, a film, and a liner.

(1) Outer materials

The high-performance fibers used in the outer layers of the US fire fighting apparel include aramid 1313 fibers, aramid 1414 fibers, PBI fibers, Kermel fibers, and PBO fibers. Flame-retardant fabrics made from Nomex fibers include Nomex LIIA, Nomex Delta T, Nomex Navy, and Nomex ToughTM. At present, PBI fiber blended fabrics are particularly popular in the protective clothing market, such as PBI/Kevlar 40/60 blended fabrics or PBI, PBI Matrix. Compared with other thermal protective fabrics, PBI fiber blended fabrics are superior in fire resistance and durable. In 1970, the U.S. Air Force Materials Laboratory began the basic research of PBO fiber. In 1998, the combination of Japan's Toyobo and Dow Chemical Company achieved the industrial production of PBO fiber, and its trade name was zylon.

(2) Sandwich material

The interlayer is a heat-insulating layer made of a three-dimensional mesh knitted fabric or a non-woven fabric that can act as a storage air. The commonly used fabrics in the United States are TNX Heat Comfort Barrier and NOMEX/KEVLARNK-AIR.

(3) Membrane

The membrane layer is a waterproof and breathable layer, and the function is a waterproof and breathable membrane. In order to ensure a certain strength, it is usually laminated on textile fabrics. Foreign countries usually use Gore-Tex, GORE-TEX Airlock, ISOTEMP-TEX HY. -PTFE. The waterproof breathable layer allows the wearer to pass water vapor while blocking liquid water. In addition, the waterproof breathable layer can also act as a wind shield, which has the effect of heat insulation and reduced heat infiltration.

(4 ) Lining

The inner lining is a comfortable layer, and it is made of heat-resistant, flame-retardant, breathable and breathable comfort fabric. The commonly used products in the United States are Nomex/Viscose FR and wickable.

Fire Action Matrix is ​​a new type of fire service in the United States, Table 1

2.2.2 Structural Design

The structural fire extinguishing fire fighting suit is ergonomically based, and its structure and details are rationally improved, and the fit, wearing comfort and flexibility of the fire fighting suit are improved, and the weight of the fire fighting suit is greatly reduced. For example, the new American fire service Ergotech Action, as shown in Figure 2, is a complete firefighting garment consisting of two pieces of structure. The details of the design increase the flexibility and personal protection level. Its coat features include high-cut cuffs, increased underarms, and a raised pleat at the back to increase flexibility and comfort. The trousers have a protruding hinge at the front and rear of the knees, which makes the wearer feel flexible and comfortable when they bend, crawl, and crouch.

Figure 1 Fire Action Matrix product image

2.2.3 Functional Design

Technical Rescue Fire Fighting Firefighters Designed with flashlights for hanging straps and radio radio pockets, rescue rings on shoulders, and resistance-rescue devices (DRD) were designed to assist in retrieving prone and injured players, such as new US firefighters. NFPA USA (Figure 3).

Figure 2 Ergotech Action product image

2.2.4 Weight

American firefighters are pursuing more lightness in order to increase activity flexibility. Figure 4 shows the XFlex is the latest silhouette of the US lightweight fire fighting suits. XFlex has a unique style of movement and is suitable for use in various dangerous roles in the firefighting process. It reduces the weight through the combined design of fabrics for optimal performance.

3 Outlook

With the continuous advancement of science and technology, a variety of high-performance flame-retardant fibers and flame-retardant finishing technologies continue to emerge, providing good raw materials for fire-fighting fire fighting clothing. In the future, the fire-fighting fire-fighting clothing will move toward a higher degree of protection and a lighter-weight material. The development of protective performance is more stable. At the same time, the design of fire fighting service will be more reasonable and diversified. Therefore, the future fire fighting service will be safer, more comfortable, beautiful and generous.

The United States fire-fighting fire service products in the innovative development of technology and functionality, can be in-depth development of international advanced raw materials, such as sensing fabrics, smart fabrics, 3D textile and other advanced technology applications. Applying phase change materials, nanotechnology, and microelectronics technologies to firefighting firefighters makes them smart. Adding a microelectronic system to the fire-fighting fire service can provide real-time feedback on the environmental conditions of the firefighters and achieve self-regulation. The application of nanotechnology can not only improve the protective performance of fire-fighting fire fighting clothing, but also make it have special functions such as identification, stealth and treatment. The application of 3D textile technology has reduced the possible unsafe factors at the joints and increased the personal protection level of the fire fighting service.

At the same time, we also look forward to the domestic raw material industry can shorten the gap with the international advanced level, so that the latest scientific and technological achievements can be applied to the fire protection industry with the minimum cost. Fire extinguishing firefighting suits shall comply with the four principles of action fit design, rapid action, protection action, and long-lasting action in the future design improvement process, so as to effectively improve the combat effectiveness of firefighters and improve their personal protection level.

The information in this article comes from the Internet and was reorganized and edited by China Rescue Equipment Network.