Hickory's new and veteran firefighters will receive new turnout gear designed to provide additional protection from the fires and heat they face on the job.
The jackets and pants are composed of three layers of fabric. The outer shell is made of Millenia and the inner layers are Quantum 3D and Crosstech.
It's necessary to understand a little bit about conditions faced by firefighters to understand how their turnout gear works.
The worst fire condition, recognized by the fire service, is the flashover condition. Flashover temperatures range from 900 to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit. These temperatures are uninhabitable; therefore testing centers consider 1,200 degrees the test point for all gear.
The Millenia, Quantum 3D and Crosstech layers are taken into a testing area and subjected to these temperatures. The testing provides two areas of measure: Thermal protective performance, and total heat loss.
The National Fire Protection Association requires a minimum TPP of 35. This first test produces a TPP number that when divided in half, which represents the amount of time until human tissue reaches a second-degree burn. In this case a TPP of 35 would depict 17.5 seconds.
The second part of the testing records the THL or breathability of the inner layers. Thinner garments get higher THL scores and result in reduced firefighter fatigue.
As the TPP goes up, with the three layers, the THL goes down (less breathability and more fatigue). The goal is to find a middle ground.
The fabric combination used in the new turnout gear provides a TPP of 36.8 and a THL of 267.9 (approximately 200 THL is the low mark).
The Hickory Fire Department's previous gear had a TPP of 39 and a THL of 193. The new gear provides equivalent protection but more breathability.
Modern innovations in fire protective gear means that firefighters are able survive in conditions that would have been fatal in years past. These innovations, in concert with extensive training, are the aspects of firefighting that will save a firefighter's life in the years to come.
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