Research Symposium

BIO

My name is Sydney Cornett and I am from Brandon, Florida. My love of animals at an early age enriched by my experience as an animal shelter volunteer has inspired me to declare biology as my major with the hopes of attending veterinary school after graduation and earning a doctorate in veterinary medicine. Although my career aspirations are centered around the biological processes of animals, my research interest spans far beyond that. Besides being interested in biological research, I am also interested in research involving social sciences.

Investigating Flaws in Female Firefighter Personal Protective Clothing

Abstract

This research is ongoing, but has begun to expose the weaknesses in the design of both structural and wildland personal protective clothing (PPC) as it pertains to female firefighters specifically. Female firefighters are at a greater risk for injury on the job because the PPC they wear was not designed for the female form, and therefore female firefighters are limited in functionality and comfort due to ill-fitting PPC. So far, this research has exposed the design flaws of female PPPC by conducting focus groups to discuss the aspects of the design of PPC that limit functionality and comfort with the goal of increasing awareness of this issue and educating manufacturers. 

Keywords: female, firefighter, firefighters, textiles, turnout coat