1. Fire fighter suit

2. Introduction
 Fire-fighting is a dangerous profession that
requires specialized equipment to effectively and
safely mitigate a fire emergency.
 Fire-fighters must wear heavy protective clothing
having personal protective equipment (PPE).
 The suit should be comfortable in nature.
 Ease of donning and doffing.

3. So far……
 Fire-fighter suit was first invented by Zachary Hansen in
the 1600’s.
 Early fire-fighter suits were made-up of leather.
 This coat had felt or wool liners provided.
 Later we can also find the use of canvas & rubber in mid
seventeenth century.
 Those previous interface of coat left
a large gap of protection against fire.

4. components Invention Spam
Invention of FFS Seventeenth century
Fire fighter boots Late Seventeenth century
Helmets In the year of 1730
Respiratory Protection In the year of 1863
Proximity suit In the year of 1930
Aluminised suit In the year of 1937
Turnout gear In the year of 1971
Smart Suit(having electrical sensors) In the year of 2003
Thermal imaging cameras In the year of 2005-06

5. Fire hazardous

6. A firefighter suit must protect the wearer from
 The radiant heat (upto 65-90%).
 A flashover situation.
 The conductive heat.
 Absorbed heat.

7. Other requirements of clothing:
 Thermally insulated
 Water repellent
 Breathable
 Flexible in nature
 Light in weight
 WP treatment durable to several washing
 High impact, puncture and tear resistance.

8. Fire-fighter Uniform
Main Accessories are:-
 Coat & pants
 Helmet
 Boots
 Gloves
 Breathing apparatus
 Goggles
 Flap that covers the ears and neck
 A whistle
 Personal alert safety system (PASS)
According to Henry Gratacap's invention

9. Double wall fitted
construction &
adjustable sleevesleeve
Easy acted zipper with
Velcro enclosure
Radio pocket with Velcro
attachment
Turn out gear

10. Boots
 Fire-fighter turnout boots are usually sized as a regular
shoe.
 Boots are made of rubber or leather with a Boron Steel
toe insert.
 The boots are slipped inside the legs of the trousers to
maintain a barrier from the heat.
 Puncture-resistant soles are incorporated.

12. Gloves
Gloves are so produced that could withstand
 Flame
 Heat
 Vapour
 Liquids
 Sharp objects
 Electrical current.
Gloves also typically made from Advanced Nomex / Kevlar
blend coated with Rubber, PVC etc.

13. Helmets
 Jacobus Turck, is credited with inventing the first fire helmet in
the 1730s. It was leather, with a high crown and wide brim.
The components of turn-out helmets(1971’s) are-
 Helmet shell:- Made up of composite material.
 Impact ring:- Rubber Impact Ring to absorb impact energy
 Helmet liner:- High Density plastic liner.
 Chin strap:- made of nylon with Velcro
attachment.

14. Respiratory Protection
The first self-contained breathing apparatus came in 1863,& invented
by James Braidwood .
It consists of-
 Two canvas bags together lined with rubber
 Airtight sac
 Compressed breathing air
 Shoulder straps and a waist belt.
Two rubber hoses connected to a mouthpiece allowed the wearer to
inhale fresh air.
“Smoke mask" worn by the fire fighter to protect well from carbon
monoxide, and in an oxygen-deficient atmosphere.

15. Proximity suit
 Fire proximity suit is a heat-reflecting metallic finished
fabric, used in outer layer of fire-fighting applications.
 It is manufactured from vacuum-deposited aluminized material.
 It can be exposed in extreme heat such as aircraft fires and
some chemical fires.
 Aluminised fire proximity suit are designed for rescue
operations and places at a temperature ranging 6000F.
 The outer layer of these suit being aluminized helps to reflect
about 90% heat.
1930’s 1937-43’s modern
1930’s 1937-43’s modern

16. Complete proximity protection for FF
requires:-
 Aluminized hood or helmet cover with neck shroud.
 Aluminized jacket and pants equipped with vapour barrier
& insulated liner.
 Aluminized gloves
 Aluminized proximity boots
 Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)

17. suit:- The outer surface of the proximity suit is made by a mirror
polished aluminised finish.
Collar:- The collar is designed to be twice the height in the rear as in the
front.
Sleeves:- The sleeves of the coat are designed to act as zippered vent
opening in pit.
Front fastener:- The coat is opened and closed by both a backway
zipper covered by a Velcro closure.

18. There are three basic types of proximity suits:-
 Approach suit—used for work in the general area of high temperatures
such as steel mills. (Ambient heat protection up to ~200 °F )
 Rescue suit—used for aircraft rescue and fire fighting (AR-FF) & for
kiln work. (Kiln suit ambient protection upto 700 °F)
 Entry suit—used for entry into extreme heat and situations requiring
protection from total flame engulfment. Most commonly made of ”Zetex” and
not aluminized. Entry suit ambient protection ~700 °F for short duration and
prolonged radiant heat up to 600 °F .

19. Material that used for proximity suits
 proximity suits are made-up of fire resistant fibres mainly
aramids such as Nomex and Kevlar, Polybenzimidazol (PBI)
fibres(<10 microns).
 Outer layer of flame-resistant fabric would not be destroyed
easily through charring or melting .
 The fireretardency will last at-least few seconds in a flashover
situation before catching the fire .
 Further, it is self –extinguishing.

20. 3-layers of the equipment
 Outer Shell: Advanced Nomex / Kevlar blend in a "Rip stop Weave", having
aluminised finish & also having puncture resistance.
 Thermal and Moisture barrier:- Thermal Layer (protects us from heat), and
the Moisture Barrier (keeps most moisture out), & usually made from PTFE
film & TRIPROTECH membrane(Pores 0.01 to <1micron) containing 1.4
billion tiny holes per square centimeter. .
 Inner layer:- Thermal linear face cloth made up of wool.
This Laminated fabrics allows water vapour to diffuse through but prevent
penetration of liquid water .
This suit weighs just 2.5 kg, and is 60% more effective in preventing second-
and third-degree burns.

21. Thermal resistance & vapour permeability
 The objective of this is to decrease the potential for burns caused
by heat transfer from flame to suit.
 Prevent the body from steam burns.
 moisture, present in fire-fighter turnout systems, has a complex
influence on heat transmission and potential for skin burn injuries.

22. Primary Aspects:
 The heat flow rate is proportional to the temperature difference
QH is heat flux passing through the system (W)
A is diffusion area (m2)
T is diffusion time (s)
∆C is the temperature difference (˚C)
RT is the thermal resistance (m2˚C/W)
The water vapor transmission rate is proportional to the vapor
concentration difference.
Q is mass of water vapor passing through the
system (g)
A is diffusion area (m2)
T is diffusion time (s)
∆P is the water vapor pressure gradient (kPa)
Ret is the evaporative resistance (m2 kPa/W)
λ is the heat of vaporization of water at the plate
surface temperature(J/g)

23. The other types of PS are:-
 700 series proximity suits: Made from aluminized glass
fibre cloth.
 OSX -1000 Fire Protective Clothing
 5000 series proximity suits:- These items of heat
protective garments are manufactured from High
Texturized Silica Fabric.

24. 5000 series proximity suits
 This consist of six silicone-encapsulated heat sensors just
under the outer shell.
 Sensors are located at the shoulder, back, and chest of the
turnout smart suit.
 The equipment when being introduced that has an internal
alarm to alert the wearer when the external temperature
exceeds the set limit.

25. Thermal Imaging cameras
 Thermal imaging cameras can detect the slightest variations in
thermal energy
 The use of thermal imaging cameras may improve the ability of the
future fire fighter to navigate in a smoke-filled room to find potential
victims.
 It can be used to pinpoint areas in the walls or floors that may have
been weakened by the fire.

26. Thank YOU...