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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 32(12)

A novel method to evaluate safe heat exposure distance for firefighters under thermal radiation conditions

Yun Su A B C * , Mengzhen Xie A , Na Xu A , Jianlin Liu D and Jun Li A B C *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A College of Fashion and Design, Donghua University, Shanghai 200051, China.

B Protective Clothing Research Center, Donghua University, Shanghai 200051, China.

C Key Laboratory of Clothing Design and Technology, Ministry of Education, Donghua University, Shanghai 200051, China.

D College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China.

* Correspondence to: suyun150@dhu.edu.cn, lijun@dhu.edu.cn

International Journal of Wildland Fire 32(12) 1677-1688 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF23092
Submitted: 22 June 2023  Accepted: 3 October 2023  Published: 27 October 2023

© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of IAWF.

Abstract

Background

Correct evaluation of safe heat exposure distance (SHED) in wildland fire environments improves the safety and efficiency of firefighting operation. However, there is a lack of standard test method for the SHED, let alone the influencing factors of the SHED.

Aims

The aim of this study was to develop a novel method to examine the SHED by considering clothing and fire factors under thermal radiation condition.

Methods

We developed a new experimental apparatus for evaluating the SHED of firefighters in fire environments. The testing accuracy and repeatability was verified by calibration and measurement results. The evaluation method was used to investigate the influences of heating source temperature and fabric combination on the SHED, and reveal the relationship between the SHED and safe heat exposure time (SHET).

Key results

The results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between the heating source temperature and the SHED. When the heating source temperature increased from 200 to 550°C, the SHED of three single-layer fabrics increased by more than 1.23 times. The SHED was negatively correlated with the reflectance, grammage and thickness of the fabric. The SHET increased with the heating source distance, and the rising rate increased gradually.

Implications

The findings obtained in this study can be used to provide theoretical support for determining the SHED during fire rescue, and to help engineer clothing that provides higher protection for firefighters.

Keywords: evaluation method, firefighters, firefighting protective clothing, heat transfer, numerical simulation, safety heat exposure distance, safety heat exposure time, thermal radiation.

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