New Standards for Wildland Firefighting Protective Clothing and Equipment Dick Mangan, Program Leader
United States Department of Agriculture Fire Forest Service Technology & Development Program August 1993 Tech Tips 5100 9351 2340–MTDC New Standards for Wildland Firefighting Protective Clothing and Equipment Dick Mangan, Program Leader At its May 1993 annual meeting, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) approved newly developed standards on protective clothing and equipment for wildland firefighting (NFPA 1977-1993 edition). This new NFPA standard is the first to specifically address the wildland firefighter. It results from a 4-year effort to develop minimum design and performance criteria and testing methods for evaluating the thermal protection of flame-resistant clothing without inducing extraordinary heat load. Items covered by the NFPA 1977 standard include the protective helmet (hardhat), protective clothing (shirt, trousers, and one- piece coverall), footwear, gloves, and fire shelter. The subcommittee that recommended the draft standards to the NFPA Technical Committee on Fire Service Protective Clothing and Equipment represented a broad cross-section of agencies, organizations, and manufacturers interested in wildland fire safety. USDA Forest Service representation included fire personnel from both the West and Thermal protective clothing and equipment. South, as well as technical specialists from the Missoula Technology and were included for clothing items, because MTDC’s Development Center (MTDC) in Montana. State extensive study of fire entrapment shows that loose- Forestry organization from the Northeast and West, fitting clothing is oftentimes just as important as the testing laboratories, regulatory agencies, flame-resistance of materials in preventing serious labor unions, manufacturers, and suppliers also burn injuries. Wearing an oversized protective served on the subcommittee. garment of the same nominal waist size as normal workwear is the best way to ensure the loose fit that is The standards for clothing, protective helmet, boots a critical safety feature of these garments.
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