Firefighters must wear thick and insulative protective clothing while doing strenuous work in hostile environments to protect them from thermal hazards. However, this significantly impedes the body’s ability to dissipate heat, increasing the risk of heat stress. Most firefighter fatalities are caused by cardiac events, with heat stress being a leading contributing factor. Thus, this study amis to explore how ambient conditions and protective clothing structure may impact firefighter heat stress.
This review systematically examines the ambient environments firefighters encounter, structure of firefighter protective clothing, standards regulating heat strain performance and the influence of ambient factors on heat stress. Finally, recent endeavors to improve heat strain performance of firefighter protective clothing are discussed.
The study reveals that environmental conditions and the structure of turnout gear play significant roles in firefighter heat stress. It highlights key challenges in current protective clothing and provides insights that may guide the development of next-generation gear aimed at reducing heat stress and improving firefighter safety.
This paper offers a comprehensive overview of the most recent advancements in the field of firefighter heat stress, supporting future innovations in protective clothing design.
