• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.21-30
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• 2010

We have test chemical resistance and flame retardant properties of chemical protective clothing Fabrics by the ASTM and ISO standard methods. The flame retardant test results show that polyethylene is poor in flame resistance but fluoroelastomer add to decabrom is excellent in flame resistance. Especially, nowadays heat protective clothing for firefighters, which is aluminized film layers laminated to aramid fabric, show the excellent flame resistance. However, the chemical resistance test results show that aluminium is high corrosive in 4M NaOH solution alone. The problem of corrosion can be overcome by employing multiple barrier film. Also, based on the result of flame retardant test, duel skin of polymer barrier film add to aluminum film and single skin of fluorinated rubber with flame retardant materials seems to be fit for the chemical protective clothing. Also the thermal protection and heat transfer test results show that TPP and HTI is increased assured that the continued study on fire risk assessment & chemical resistance of chemical protective clothing fabrics will contribute to the upgrade the performances of chemical protective clothing fabrics.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.110-115
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• 2020

The aim of this study was to investigate the wearing acceptability of chemical protective clothing during fires and to provide basic data for the safety of firefighters. The results of the study were as follows: Wearer acceptabilities of chemical protective clothing under static movement (e.g., looking at the ceiling with maximum head bending, wrapping one's arms around oneself, sitting obliquely on the floor, and maintaining a crouching position) were 21.7%-47.8% lower than those of general uniforms. When wearing chemical protective suits, the acceptability under static movement was statistically low (p < .001). Wearer acceptabilities of chemical protective clothing under dynamic movement (e.g., running, lifting a heavy object (20 kg) up to the waist, lifting and moving a heavy object (20 kg) by 1 m, lifting a stretcher and walking forward, and lifting a stretcher and walking backward) were 19.2%-47.8% lower than those of general uniforms. When wearing chemical protective suits, the acceptability under dynamic movement was also statistically low (p < .001).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.93-103
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• 1997

The purpose of this study was to investigate the actual performance of Korean firefighter's clothing through comparisons with protective clothing used in the United State, surveys of firefighter's opinion, and experiments on the material used in Korean firefighter's clothing. The paper presents experimental results as well as ways to improve current standards. The major results are as follows: 1. Korean protective clothing is too thin and too heavy. Thicker, lighter, and more heat- resistant fabric and a lighter trim should be used. 2. Korean protective clothing is not very water-resistant. A Water-resistant outershell and an innerliner which are made of air permeable and water resistant fabric must be used. 3. Korean protective clothing's outershell and innerliner should be made of fabric that is more heat-resistant, flame-resistant, and chemical resistant. 4. Protective clothing should be more brightly colored and its reflective tape should have greater reflectivity to make firefighters more visible. 5. The fastner currently used in Korean protective clothing consists of Velcro, a button, and a D-ring which can not be opened and closed quickly. A better fastener would have just velcro and a zipper. 6. The uniform for Korean firefighters consists of only a protective coat and boots. Protective trousers should be added to the standard uniform. Also, a thermal harrier should be used in winter to protect firefighters from the cold. 7. Korean firefighters should be provided with their own personal sets of protective clothing to ensure a proper fit.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.83-97
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to provide basic data for the development of personal protective equipment (PPE) for emergency medical technicians (EMTs) during chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive situations. Methods: Body measurements were obtained for adults aged from 20 to 59 years from the data in the 6 th Size Korea national sizing survey. These data were compared to the sizes of protective clothing currently available in the market. In-depth interviews with active paramedics with experiences of wearing PPE were conducted. Results: Most of the imported protective clothing turned out to be unfit for Korean adults. This showed the urgent need for developing appropriately sized protective clothing for Korean emergency technicians. In total, 55.0% of the respondents indicated that the current protective clothing is unsafe, and 71.0% requested the clothing to have level C protective performance. Regarding the design, many people wanted hooded all-in-one type of clothing. Conclusion: Considering these requirements, most of the wearers wanted their protective clothing to be fundamentally protective of their body, be available in various sizes with adjustable parts, and easy to wear and take off. They also wanted the clothing to be secure in clear sight, while not revealing any parts of their body and not interfringe with their ability to communicate with others.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.836-847
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• 2022

This study establishes basic data for the development of a new Chemical, Biological, and Radioactive (CBR) protective clothing by selecting the ventilation position to optimize thermal comfort on the basis of the opening and closing of each part. Participants were eight men in their 20s who had previously worn CBR protective clothing. After vigorous exercise and perspiration, the microclimate of the clothing and skin temperature was measured. Results revealed that when the ventilation zipper was opened after exercising, the skin and clothing microclimate temperatures, which had increased during the exercise, decreased in the chest and shoulder blade regions. The clothing microclimate humidity decreased in the chest area. The change was greatest in the chest region; the skin temperature decreased by 0.2℃, the clothing microclimate temperature by 2.7℃, and the clothing microclimate humidity by 3.2%RH through ventilation. Thus, the opening that allows the exchange of accumulated heat and moisture while wearing the CBR protective clothing is efficient.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.193-200
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• 2012

The selection factors of the protective clothing against the NBC agents are the protection(chemical, biological, TIMs), duration, weight/comfort, dexterity/mobility, size, visibility, cleaning and unit cost, etc. To develop the NBC protective clothing, we should need to review about the design concepts of the protective materials(shell and liner fabric) and form. This paper identify an important factors for the protective materials and form, and presents design strategies for important factors based on the evaluation results of the materials and the form.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.73-79
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• 2020

Pursuing the fabric materials for military chemical warfare protective clothing with the improved detoxification properties, this study investigated the simple and effective cotton treatment method using pad-dry-cure process and 3-aminopropyltrimethox ysilane(APTMS) solution for surface amination. Detoxification properties of the untreated and treated cotton fabrics were evaluated via decontamination of chemical warfare agent simulant, DFP(diisopropylfluorophosphate). The surface aminated cotton fabric increased the rate of the hydrolysis of DFP by the factor of 3 and the decontamination ratio reached 88.2% after 24h. Therefore, the surface amination of the cotton fabric with APTMS can be an effective pathway to prepare the material for protective clothing against chemical warfare agents.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.17-23
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• 2017

The test methods using convection (flame) and radiation heat sources were compared to evaluate the thermal protective performance of the firefighter's protective clothing. In particular, the influence of the outer shell, mid-layer, and lining constituting the firefighter's protective clothing on the thermal protective performance was compared for convection and radiation heat sources. Tests for the thermal protective performance were carried out according to KS K ISO 9151 (convection), KS K ISO 6942 (radiation), and KS K ISO 17492 (convection and radiation). When tested under the same incident heat flux conditions ($80kW/m^2$), the heat transfer index ($t_{12}$ and $t_{24}$) for the radiation heat source was higher than that for the convection heat source. This means that radiation has a lesser effect than convection. For the convection heat source, the lining had the greatest effect on the thermal protective performance, followed by the mid-layer and the outer shell. On the other hand, for the radiation heat source, the effect on the thermal protective performance was great in the order of lining, outer shell, and mid-layer. Convection and radiation have fundamentally different mechanisms of heat transfer, and different heat sources can lead to different thermal protective performance results depending on the material composition. Therefore, to evaluate the thermal protective performance of the firefighter's protective clothing, it is important to test not only the convection heat source, but also the radiation heat source.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.520-533
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• 2023

The present study developed a test protocol for evaluating the mobility of firefighting chemical and flame personal protective equipment (PPE) for the National 119 Rescue Headquarters in Korea and suggested ergonomic design factors to improve their mobility and performance. Six types of PPE were employed, including three types for flame protective PPE (5 ~ 6 kg excluding the self-contained breathing apparatus), and three types for chemical and flame protective PPE (8 ~ 11 kg). These PPEs are used by the 119 Rescue firefighters. Three male firefighters (34.3 ± 1.2 y in age, 175 ± 8 cm in height, 81 ± 13 kg in body weight) participated in the mobility test and interview. A mobility test protocol consisting of 16 components (nine postures and seven motions including a dexterity test) along with a visibility test were developed based on pre-interviews and literature reviews. The findings indicated that the clothing microclimate humidity on the neck and chest exceeded 85%RH on average for all the six PPE conditions, with the chest area reaching as high as 98%RH. This high humidity caused fogging inside the visor and impaired visibility. The requirements for improving the PPE design in terms of mobility varied depending on whether it was the separated types or all-in-one types, particularly regarding the hood and gloves design. The findings of this study can be applied to improve the design of Level A_PPE for firefighters. The mobility test protocol and visibility test developed in this study can also be applied to other types of Level A impermeable PPE.

• Proceedings of KHEA Conference
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• 1997.07a
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• pp.258-258
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• 1997