Effects of Firefighting Hood Design, Laundering and Doffing on Smoke Protection, Heat Stress and Wearability

Ergonomics
Richard M. Kesler, Alex Mayer, Kenneth W. Fent, I-Chen Chen, A. Shawn Deaton, R. Bryan Ormond, Denise L. Smith, Andrea Wilkinson, Steve Kerber and Gavin P. Horn

Firefighter hoods must provide protection from elevated temperatures and products of combustion (e.g. particulate) while simultaneously being wearable (comfortable and not interfering with firefighting activities).

The purpose of this study was to quantify the impact of (1) hood design (traditional knit hood vs particulate-blocking hood), (2) repeated laundering, and (3) hood removal method (traditional vs overhead doffing) on (a) protection from soot contamination on the neck, (b) heat stress and (c) wearability measures.

Using a fireground exposure simulator, 24 firefighters performed firefighting activities in realistic smoke and heat conditions using a new knit hood, new particulate-blocking hood and laundered particulate-blocking hood.

Overall, soot contamination levels measured from neck skin were lower when wearing the laundered particulate-blocking hoods compared to new knit hoods, and when using the overhead hood removal process.

No significant differences in skin temperature, core temperature, heart rate or wearability measures were found between the hood conditions.

Read the Full Research Article

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The 36-foot fireboat is on duty just outside
New Orleans, Louisiana

SUPERIOR, Wis. – Lake Assault Boats, part of Fraser Shipyards and a leading manufacturer of purpose-built, mission-specific fire and rescue boats, has placed a custom 36-foot fireboat into service with the Marathon Petroleum Company at its Louisiana Refining Division in Garyville, Louisiana. The craft is serving on the waters surrounding the nation’s newest major refinery.

“Marathon’s Garyville refinery, located near New Orleans and the Mississippi River, is an important facility and a vital component of our nation’s infrastructure,” said Chad DuMars, Lake Assault Boats Vice President of Operations. “We’re proud and honored to provide the Marathon Fire Department with a state-of-the-art vessel engineered to quickly and effectively respond to a wide range of on-the-water emergencies.” 

The modified V-hull craft features a 36-foot hull, a 10-foot, 6-inch beam, and is powered by twin 300 hp four-stroke outboards. Its overall height is less than 13-feet 6-inches; its draft is less than 18-inches with motors trimmed up, and 24-inches when trimmed down. Weighing approximately 12,200 pounds and providing a person and cargo capacity of 5,000 pounds, the fireboat sports a 72-inch hydraulically operated bow door with an integrated ladder for diver reentry and flat tread areas for ATV deployment. 

The firefighting system includes a Darley PSDE fire pump certified at 1,500 GPM that is driven by a dedicated 365-hp V-8 engine. There are twin 4-inch discharges located on the forward deck along with an electronically controlled monitor. 

The vessel is equipped with a full-width and fully enclosed pilothouse with an interior clearance height of 76-inches. Its ergonomic helm station features controls for the fire pump and monitors. In addition, there are two Garmin 12-inch touchscreens controlling GPS, Sonar with SideVu and DownVu, Chart Plotting, high definition radar, and forward looking infrared.



About Lake Assault Boats
Lake Assault Boats are born in a shipyard, designed for a mission, tested on Lake Superior, and custom engineered using technology and resources unm

The Elyria Fire Department is planning to apply for a grant to help replace its ladder truck which is estimated to cost $1.3 million, reports The Morning Journal.

The grant, which is valued up to $1 million, is from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for assistance to firefighters. If the city were to receive the grant, it would have to match 10% of the $1 million.

The city’s current aerial truck has a manufacturing year of 2008 and has been in service since 2009.

Fire officials cautioned that the grant is very competitive but that the application is worth the effort.

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Atchison City Commission unanimously approved a grant that will provide the fire department with a new mini-pumper truck, reports AtchisonGlobeNow.com.

The department estimates that more than 80% of calls are as first responders to medical emergencies. Currently the department must use one of its full-sized pumper trucks to respond to all calls. One of the pumper trucks is due for replacement in the next couple years.

Rather than replacing that truck, the fire chief recommended a new mini-pumper truck. The estimated cost of a mini-pumper is $275,000 and the city will be responsible for $13,750 of that cost.

The acquisition of a smaller truck will also reduce maintenance costs.

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