It is a must to use personal protective equipment (PPE) during wildland fires. Personal Protective Clothing is the most important part of the PPE.

Protective Clothing used in wildland firefighting and structural firefighting are not the same. The main difference is the following: Structural fire suits have 4 layers; outershell fabric, moisture barrier, heat barrier and inner lining. On the other hand wildland fire suits are only one layer because of the high heat stress in forest fires. Wildland firefighters are facing with heat stress which can even cause heart attacks. Therefore the suits they are wearing must be AS LIGHT AND COMFORTABLE AS POSSIBLE.

Develop/designing the MOST PROTECTIVE, MOST COMFORTABLE, LIGHTEST and MOST DURABLE SUIT is the aim of the garment manufacturers. They are investing huge amounts in R&D to achieve this target.

It is not enough to use a light weight fabric in the suit. It should also be VERY DURABLE because there are many sharp objects like bushes in a forest fire which can easily tear the fabric. The firefighter could be injured or even dead if direct flames come to the unprotected body in case of a break or tear in outer fabric. Therefore the TENSILE AND TEAR STRENGTH of the fabric must be much more higher compared to conventional flame resistant fabrics.

Wildland firefighters in Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, General Directorate of Forestry, are using the most suitable garment according to the above mentioned needs:

·                   PROTECTION: The heat and flame resistancy of the fabric used by Turkish wildland firefighters is the best compared to other materials in the market which gives the best protection to them.

·                   COMFORT: The weight of the fabric used by Turkish wildland firefighters is 165 g/m² and this is the LIGHTEST garment fabric at the moment. The AIR PERMEABILITY when tested according to ISO 9237 at 100 Pa is at least 175 litre/m2xs which makes the fabric the MOST BREATHABLE fabric. This high breathability means low heat stress during fire.

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It is not enough to use a light weight fabric in the suit. It should also be VERY DURABLE because there are many sharp objects like bushes in a forest fire which can easily tear the fabric. The firefighter could be injured or even dead if direct flames come to the unprotected body in case of a break or tear in outer fabric. Therefore the TENSILE AND TEAR STRENGTH of the fabric must be much more higher compared to conventional flame resistant fabrics.

·                   DURABILITY: The tensile strength of the fabric used by Turkish wildland firefighters is at least 1600 N/5 cm in warp and at least 1100 N/5 cm in weft according to EN ISO 13934-1. The tear strength is at least 70 N in warp and at least 60 N in weft according to EN ISO 13937-2. This high tensile and tear strength increases the lifetime of the garment and protects the firefighter.

·                   DESIGN: Different aspects of wildland firefighting are taken into account in designing the suit. Flame retardant yellow-silver-yellow reflective tapes increases the visibility in day and night. The comfort is increased by means of curved type stitching on elbow and knee area. There are a lot of pockets enabling firefighters to use several equipments.

As a conclusion we can say that Turkish wildland firefighters are using the LIGHTEST, MOST COMFORTABLE and MOST DURABLE suits available today – PBI TriGuard.

Helmut Zepf

Vice President Marketing & Sales PBI Europe and Middle East

PBI Performance Products, Inc.