WDC020: Safety and Wellbeing Issues of Wildland Firefighters Personal Protective Clothing
Statement of Issues and Justification
Throughout most of the past decade wildland fires have dominated natural resource management issues. There appears to have been an increase in the prevalence of large scale wildland fires throughout the United States in recent years; a large scale fire event takes place every two-three years. (USDA Forest Service, 2010) Many of the larger fires have occurred in the Western Region. The increase of wildland fire activity has forced natural resource managers to focus more of their attention and resources on fire management. (USDA Forest Service, 2010) The operational budget resources directed to fire management have focused primarily on prevention and intervention. Not only have operational budge resources been directed to prevention and intervention management efforts but so has wildland fire research dollars. An area of research focus that has been lacking is the human factor. Not only is it important to factor in the human element in wildland urban interface (WUI) related issues but it is also important to direct attention to those in the heat of the battle, the firefighters.A report presented at the April 1999 conference on wildland firefighter safety stated that personal protective clothing strikes a balance between protection and worker comfort. (Sharkey, 1999, p. 33). Recently the question of comfort in the personal protective clothing for wildland firefighters was brought to the attention of these researchers. The issues raised by female wildland firefighters to the researchers call into question not only the comfort factor of the personal protective clothing but also the impact that lack of comfort might have on the full protective nature of said clothing. These women reported ill fitting clothing which created bruising and severe chaffing leading to semi-permanent skin conditions. There were also issues raised related to clothing comfort which lead to a lack of focus while on the fire line. Comfort from a clothing perspective is that the wearer is psychologically and physiologically unaware of the clothing. This does not appear to be the case of the women who spoke to the researchers.
An examination of the 1977 Design Requirements for federal firefighter uniforms indicate that the design is based on body measurements. It further appears that these measurements were based on the male body and numbers reduced to fit the female body. However there does not seem to be any indication that consideration was given to the differences in body type and shape between male and female (National Fire Protection Association).
Firefighters clothing typically consists of a flame resistant outer shell and an inner shell which consists of a moisture barrier, a thermal barrier and a lining material. (Kermel, 2010; Cameron, 2009) Although the fit and comfort issues raised by the female firefighters were primarily related to design and style of the protective clothing, issues were also raised with the fabric and construction quality.
The issues raised by the few female wildland firefighters interviewed by the researchers warrant further investigation. Although some of the issues raised by the female firefighters also apply to their male counterparts they seem more prevalent amongst females. Since the early 1990s there has been a significant increase in the number of female wildland firefighters employed by national agencies. This study has implications for several areas within the textiles and apparel field; apparel design, textile science, apparel production, and product innovation for human well-being. There is also the potential for this project to draw interest from our colleagues in the areas of forestry and natural resources. In order to sustain our natural resource systems it is important that we address the safety and well-being of those individuals committed to the management of those resources.
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