Research Symposium

BIO

My name is Ana Grande and I am a second year Athletic Training student at Florida State University. I am from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and I have developed a passion for health and wellness. I plan to be a Physical Therapist with the hopes of improving both the physical and mental health of others. Research has been something that I recently became involved in, and it has become an incredible experience that I hope to continue pursuing in the future.

Thermal Manikin Comfort Assessment of Lightweight PPE for Structural Firefighters

Abstract

Heat exhaustion and heat-related illness is a common issue that firefighters experience due to the strenuous nature of their job. This study evaluates their personal protective clothing (PPC) to test overall thermal comfort with lighter weight materials to determine how PPC can be better designed to fit the needs of firefighters. A structural firefighter turnout suit with a novel lightweight material was tested in the ThermaNOLE Comfort Lab®. This lab is equipped with ANDI, a state-of-the-art dynamic sweating thermal manikin that offers heightened sensitivity to measure heat loss and gain, allowing researchers to simulate human physiology while testing garments. A series of tests were conducted with the thermal manikin to evaluate both the new lightweight suit and a traditional weight control suit. Findings will determine whether the lightweight materials will improve the heat loss and thermoregulation capabilities of firefighters.

Keywords: Firefighter, Heat exhaustion,