Presented By: Miss N Mark Pitlochry Primary School Educator KEYWORDS

1. Textiles – types of cloth or woven fabrics; for example, cotton, polyester, nylon 2. Synthetic – not natural like cotton, but rather like nylon manufactured in a factory. 3. Insulator – a material that does not allow free passage of something through it, for example, your woollen is an insulator of heat; plastic is an insulator of electricity. 4. Anoraks – thick with hoods, usually waterproof. 5. Thermal – Heat 6. Reflective – able to reflect light. 7. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – or equipment used to protect a persons body from injury in a dangerous working environment 8. Fire- resistant – cannot burn 9. Durable- can be used for a long time. 10.Hazardous materials – substances that are extremely dangerous to touch or inhale. PROTECTIVE CLOTHING

The main purpose of clothes is to cover our bodies and protect us from the weather. Clothing needs to be functional. For instance, a must be waterproof to keep us dry.

Technology has developed many new products, including special materials for making protective clothing. Protective clothing protects sportsmen and women – such as shoulder pads and scrum . Protective clothing is used to protect the people who work in emergency services, such as fire fighters, or in dangerous professions, such as miners.

Technological advances in the field of textiles have helped to protect emergency workers from injury and even death. We will investigate the clothing worn by the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and the . Clothing for the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI)

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) provides emergency services in South Africa’s seas. Rescue swimmers will swim out to help people, and other volunteers will assist victims after they have been recovered from the sea.

When the NSRI team goes out to sea they wear clothing that protects them from hypothermia and drowning. Hypothermia is a dangerous condition where the body temperature drops to below 35 °C. The symptoms include severe shivering, hunger and nausea. The person is confused and may speak with a slur. The vital organs start to shut down as the person enters a coma. It is essential that the rescuer’s clothing keeps them warm and afloat, otherwise they too might suffer the same symptoms.

Rescue swimmers will wear a . Most are made from a textile called neoprene. Neoprene is a type synthetic rubber that is flexible and elastic, even at very cold temperatures. This allows the rescuer to move as freely as possible when swimming to rescue someone.

To make neoprene a better insulator of heat, it is put through a foaming process, where tiny bubbles of gas are released into the material. This makes the materials feel slightly spongy when pressed between the fingers. The gas bubbles in the foamed neoprene form a barrier between the rescuer’s skin and the cold water. Because gas is a good insulator of heat, the rescuer will not lose body heat. The gas bubbles in formed neoprene also help to keep the rescuer buoyant. It is not only the rescue swimmers who need to wear protective clothing. Rescue workers such as doctors and operators of the rescue boat will also need protection. Conditions at sea can be cold and windy, therefore they need clothing that is wind and water resistant, and that offers them some warmth. The anoraks and : https://www.youtub worn by members of the NSRI e.com/watch?v=Cw usually have an outer shell made of a _BTk0vvpw wind- and water-resistant fabric. The https://www.youtub inner layer is made from fabric such as e.com/watch?v=hc a thick-weave cotton or poly-cotton, zeEIDsd4A which will keep the rescuer warm. Life Jackets

Two types of life jackets are worn by NSRI members. The first type is often found on pleasure boats and sailing boats. The outside fabric is made from nylon that covers the closed-cell foam. This is a special foam that is light and dense and keeps the wearer afloat. These life jackets are bulky and difficult to work in.

The second type of life is called a “crew saver”. These are worn by members who go far out to sea. They inflate automatically when the person hits the water. Hazmat

The word hazmat comes from the term ‘hazardous materials.’ A hazardous material is any solid, liquid or gas that is very poisonous. These suits are worn by people who deal with these and dangerous chemicals. The fabric is tough, strong, resistant to chemicals and flexible. It doesn’t allow any air in at all, which means that a person is completely sealed off from the outside world. For added protection the gloves and are attached to the .

Look at the picture. The person wearing it will have an air tank and a radio with him. Clothing for fire fighters

Fire fighters need clothing that keeps the heat from the fire away from their bodies, but still allows them enough movement to rescue the fire victims.

A fire fighter’s clothing has THREE layers: the outer shell, a moisture barrier and a thermal barrier.

• The outer shell has to be very strong and heat resistant in order to protect the fire fighter from heat and flames. It contains a fabric called , which is heat and flame resistant, as well as resistant to ripping. • The moisture barrier is made from laminated fabric that still allows the skin to release some of the water vapour created by sweat. The moisture barrier is important to protect the fire fighter from coming into contact with poisonous or very hot water. • The thermal barrier provides extra protection against heat. It is usually made form a thicker quilted fabric. There is a small gap for air in between WATCH: these three layers. This allows for further heat insulation, because air is a poor https://www.yo conductor of heat. There are reflective utube.com/wat strips on the fire fighters’ clothing, so that ch?v=veYEePD they can be seen in very smoky conditions. 8DJU

Fire fighters also wear other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as (with lights), heat-resistant gloves, hoods and boots. The boots are made from heat-resistant rubber and re reinforced with steel to protect the fire fighters feet from falling objects. Fire fighters will usually use breathing apparatus so that they do not suffer from smoke inhalation. Activity 1

1. Why is it important for fire fighter clothing to have reflective stripes? 2. Copy and complete the table about the layers of a fire fighter’s protective clothing. Name of layer of fire fighter’s Made from Function clothing

3. Why is there a small gap for air between the layers of fire fighters clothing? 4. Name five properties that the material used to make a hazmat suit should have. 5. What other Personal Protection equipment do wear? Activity 2

1. What is the function of the NSRI? 2. What textile is used to make wetsuits? 3. Explain how this textile is processed to make it a better heat insulator. 4. Investigate the symptoms of hypothermia and how wet suits can prevent this condition. 5. Explain why the NSRI use two different types of life jackets. 6. Draw a mind map to summarise the properties of neoprene.

Activity 3

Refer to pages 96 – 99 in your Spot On Technology textbook. Complete case studies 1 -3. https://www.pitlochryps.co.za/