BIO

Inside the US I am from Lakeland FL, in between Tampa and Orlando, and outside the US I was born and raised in Cuba. I enjoy playing sports, especially swimming and baseball. I wish to become a Physical Therapist in the future.

Impact of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus on Air Gaps in Structural Firefighter PPE​

Abstract

Air is an insulator and in excess, can lead to heat stress in some applications, such as structural firefighter turnout suits. As firefighters need to be protected from heat and flame insulation is needed. However, bulky, large, and oversized gear can easily lead to reduced ergonomic mobility and excess buildup of metabolic heat. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to study the air gaps formed within turnout suits, and for the first time, with and without a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). Four ensembles were assessed using a three-dimensional body scanner in the FSU Body Scanning Laboratory. These ensembles included a nude compression layer, base layer typically worn underneath the turnout, a turnout suit, and the turnout suit with an equipped SCBA. Scans were conducted on 14 professional male and female firefighters. An SS20 Size Stream body scanner was used to perform three replicate scans per ensemble per participant. Findings indicate differences in surface area, volume, and air gap size between ensembles including with and without the SCBA. Future research should continue to explore the effects of air gaps within firefighter turnout suits that may be formed depending on other contributing factors and how these gaps affect the performance of firefighters.

Keywords: Firefighter; SCBA; Air gaps; Ease gap