Development of Fireground Exposure Simulator (FES) Prop for PPE Testing and Evaluation

Gavin P Horn,Steve Kerber,Kenneth W Fent,Alex Mayer,Denise L Smith,Jeffery Lattz,Richard M Kesler

doi:10.1007/s10694-020-00981-3

Abstract

Research on the performance of personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Fire Service is challenged by the ability to repeatedly and feasibly test new designs, interventions and wear trials in realistic conditions that appropriately simulate end use environments. To support firefighter PPE research and firefighter PPE acclimation/training, a multidisciplinary team has developed a low cost, easily replicable approach for simulating conditions commonly encountered by firefighters operating on the interior of a residential structure fire. The testing enclosure can be used with either stationary mannequins or firefighters conducting typical fireground activities, providing a method to study a wide range of PPE and physiological studies as well as training activities that may support developing new technologies and standardized testing opportunities. Environmental gas concentrations and firefighters’ local temperatures were measured during trials and compared to data collected from simulated fireground activities and fireground responses with good agreement.

Highlights

Firefighters are becoming increasingly aware of their chemical exposure risks on the fireground and the health risks associated with that exposure
To support firefighter research, including protective equipment (PPE) research and development, we have developed a new approach for simulating conditions commonly encountered by firefighters operating on the interior of a residential structure fire
Environmental gas concentration and temperature measurements at crawling level were in good agreement with the same measurements in previous fireground research investigating firefighters working in residential fires

Summary

Introduction

Firefighters are becoming increasingly aware of their chemical exposure risks on the fireground and the health risks associated with that exposure. The FAS involves firefighters conducting various activities similar to what they would perform on the fireground—climbing stairs, searching a room, advancing a hoseline and pulling down ceiling materials—in a manner that allows firefighters to develop proper technique under controlled conditions and allows quantification of the work completed This manuscript summarizes a new dual-purpose training/testing prop developed to provide researchers, equipment manufacturers, training organizations, standards organizations and firefighters with a means to produce a controlled environment with a repeatable and realistic thermal and smoke environment in order to characterize PPE performance or characterize firefighter responses to common fireground conditions that simulate the combined vapor, particulate and thermal threats firefighters face. This manuscript reports on gas concentration and temperatures obtained in the simulation prop and compares data from the new simulation prop to data from recent studies that have quantified exposures for firefighters operating in simulated fire attack and search & rescue operations [22, 23]

Prop Construction and Test Protocol

Temperature and Smoke Sampling in FES

Ambient Air Temperatures

PAHs and VOCs in the Air

Findings

Summary and Future Work