Enhancing Design and Evaluating Mobility of Firefighting Chemical and Flame Protective Clothing for the National 119 Rescue Headquarters

The present study developed a test protocol for evaluating the mobility of firefighting chemical and flame personalprotective equipment (PPE) for the National 119 Rescue Headquarters in Korea and suggested ergonomic design factors toimprove their mobility and performance. Six types of PPE were employed, including three types for flame protective PPE(5 ~ 6 kg excluding the self-contained breathing apparatus), and three types for chemical and flame protective PPE (8 ~11 kg). These PPEs are used by the 119 Rescue firefighters. Three male firefighters (34.3 ± 1.2 y in age, 175 ± 8 cm inheight, 81 ± 13 kg in body weight) participated in the mobility test and interview. A mobility test protocol consisting of 16components (nine postures and seven motions including a dexterity test) along with a visibility test were developed basedon pre-interviews and literature reviews. The findings indicated that the clothing microclimate humidity on the neck andchest exceeded 85%RH on average for all the six PPE conditions, with the chest area reaching as high as 98%RH. This highhumidity caused fogging inside the visor and impaired visibility. The requirements for improving the PPE design in termsof mobility varied depending on whether it was the separated types or all-in-one types, particularly regarding the hood andgloves design. The findings of this study can be applied to improve the design of Level A_PPE for firefighters. The mobilitytest protocol and visibility test developed in this study can also be applied to other types of Level A impermeable PPE.