Fireground Exposure Simulator Journal Article Published in Fire Technology
FSRI co-authored, peer-reviewed journal article published in Fire Technology.
The Development of Fireground Exposure Simulator (FES) Prop for PPE Testing and Evaluation peer-reviewed journal article summarizes a new dual-purpose training/testing prop developed to provide researchers, equipment manufacturers, training organizations, standards organizations and firefighters 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 is derived from our PPE Cleaning study, a component of the larger Cardiovascular & Chemical Exposure Risks in Today’s Fire Service project. As a result of these fireground studies (and other related activities in the fire service), the fire service is more aware of the need to clean PPE on a regular basis. However, the effectiveness of repeated cleaning and potential impact on protective properties are unknown. This prop provides a controlled exposure scenario for repeated exposures (and subsequent cleanings), and will allow us to capture the first data to support such decisions.
Specifically, this prop builds off the following manuscripts
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Fent KW, Evans DE, Babik K, Striley C, Bertke S, Kerber S, Smith D, and Horn GP (2018) Airborne contaminants during controlled residential fires. J Occup Environ Hyg 15(5):399-412
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Horn GP, Kesler RM, Kerber S, Fent KW, Schroeder TJ, Scott WS, Fehling PC, Fernhall B, and Smith DL (2018) Thermal response to firefighting activities in residential structure fires: Impact of job assignment and suppression tactic. Ergonomics 61(3): 404-419
FSRI partnered with NIOSH, Globe fire suits (now MSA), and IFSI to conduct this research. Funding for this project was provided by the Department of Homeland Security Fire Prevention and Safety Grant #EMW-2015-FP-00646.
About Fire Technology:
Fire Technology publishes original contributions, both theoretical and empirical, that contribute to the solution of problems in fire safety science and engineering. It is the leading journal in the field, publishing applied research dealing with the full range of actual and potential fire hazards facing humans and the environment. It covers the entire domain of fire safety science and engineering problems relevant in industrial, operational, cultural, and environmental applications, including modeling, testing, detection, suppression, human behavior, wildfires, structures, and risk analysis.