In 8th grade I had to write a research report for school. I could do it on whatever I wanted to. I chose to do it on The Evolution of Firefighter Personal Protective Gear in America. Can you say "Fire Buff"?!? I received an A+ on it. I wanted to post it to get your feedback and to make sure everything that I put in there is correct.

The Evolution of Firefighter Personal Protective Gear in America.docx

The Evolution of Firefighter Personal Protective Equipment in America

            A house is on fire and people are trapped inside the burning inferno.   High pitched wails of fire sirens pierce the still night air.  In rush the firefighters to rescue those inside. They are dressed in gear which makes them look very frighting. "PPE refers to any clothing, helmets, and equipment, such as their self-contained breathing apparatus, which are worn to protect firefighters from injury."[1]  PPE is short for Personal Protective equipment.  Firefighters were not always able to safely enter a burning structure to rescue trapped victims; it is their modern PPE  that enables them to be more safe and have more time to assist victims in any type of fire or rescue emergency.   "Throughout history firefighting personal protective equipment has evolved in many ways.  Fire can be a harsh reality, but today's firefighters are much more prepared and protected than the firemen breathing through their whiskers years ago." [2]  People are rescued from the deathly grips of fire every day by firefighters due to the evolution of their helmets, clothing, and personal safety devices.

            Fire helmets have evolved over the 250 plus years they have been around.  Of all of the PPE a firefighter has, it has evolved the least, because it was made and perfected early on.  The first helmet was made by Jacobus Turck in 1731.  It was round with a high crown and a narrow brim.  The firefighter in the mid- 1700s was required to wear a helmet while on duty.  Matthew DuBois added wire to the brim for resisting moisture, warping, and heat.[3]  In 1830 a New York volunteer firefighter and luggage maker, Henry Gratacap, made the first helmet that is still around today. It had eight combs or eight segments that were specially treated to resist rotting from over-exposure to water. Even then the fire helmets of the 1800s were mainly used for decoration and not the wear and tear of fighting a fire.[4]  The helmets of today's firefighters are made with many things in mind. They now have 16 combs because the more combs present, the stronger and more durable especially against heat they are.[5]  The eagle that holds the identification of a firefighter in place on the helmet has been there since 1825, when an unknown sculptor made a figure of a volunteer firefighter for a grave and he placed an eagle on top of the helmet. It has remained there since.  They now offer many protections for the wearer. They protect against water, heat, and falling objects as well as providing some eye protection and much neck protection. [6]    The fire helmet is a must for any firefighter responding to a fire.

            The clothing that is worn by a firefighter is one of the most important pieces of equipment that they have.  "The coat and pants used for structural firefighting are commonly referred to as Bunker Gear or Turnout Gear, and are designed to protect the wearer from the hazards of fighting fires and other dangers that may be encountered."[7] The clothes of past firefighters are so much different than they are today.  The first uniforms were for special occasions and not the wear and tear of firefighting.  They would wear normal clothes to the fire scene as they did not enter the burning structure; they fought the fire from the outside.  The NFPA or National Fire Protection Association sets the standards and requirements and they also certify all of the firefighters clothing that are worn by current firefighters.  Boots are very important in the safety of a firefighter due to the hot things they will step on, the sharp objects they might step on, and the falling objects that would otherwise trap and injury their feet.  The boots were made of rubber and used to go up to the mid-thigh and so they were called "Three-quarters" boots.  Now the NFPA requires them to be leather or rubber, steel-toed, hard soled, and able to withstand many different blows and burns, as well as being short, below the knee. [8]  Gloves protect firefighter's hands from the heat and sharp objects they will encounter as well as protecting them while using their powerful equipment and ropes that they use.  Past firefighters had to supply their own gloves they are now part of the required gear for every firefighter.  They were made of leather and are now made of a three layer fire and heat resistant, high-performance fabric.[9]   The gloves are required by the NFPA to withstand and protect the firefighter from: flame, heat, vapor, liquids and sharp objects. The jacket is the piece of PPE that has evolved more than any other as well as being around the longest.  It was originally made of leather, canvas, or rubber as a long trench coat with cotton or wool lining, because cotton and wool keep the heat of the flames and the coldness of winter away from the firefighters body and cotton and wool also had mild flame and water resistance.[10]   It is now made of a complex mixture of fire resistant materials and can weigh as much as 15 pounds.  The first firefighters did not need much protection because they fought the fires from the outside of the burning structure, so early jackets were made for dryness and warmth. The first firefighters did not have any pants to protect their legs, because they had their "Three-quarters" boots and long trench coat, so there was no need for pants.   Today's bunker pants are the first article of PPE the firefighter puts on when the alarm for a fire comes in.   The bunker pants themselves can weigh up to 30 pounds, so the firefighters must have suspenders to help keep their pants up. [11]   The pants have reinforced knees because of all of the crawling they do. The NFPA 1971 Standard on Protective Clothing for Structural Fire Fighting, requested an outer layer of flame-resistant fabric that would not be destroyed through charring, separating, or melting when exposed to 500 °F for a five-minute period; a second layer to prevent moisture from penetrating through to the wearer; and a third layer to provide thermal insulation from radiant, conducted, and convective heat. [12]  This standard is now used for all firefighting boots, gloves, jackets, and pants in the United States.  All of the bunker gear together can weigh up to 70 pounds without the breathing equipment, but it is a must to wear when fighting a fire.  Modern PPE enables a firefighter to enter a burning building to extinguish the flames and rescue trapped victims.  Despite all of the good that bunker gear does it has some disadvantages too.  The PPE works so well to repel the heat of a fire and protect the firefighter that this can be a big problem because the firefighter cannot tell how hot the fire really is. [13]

            Firefighter Personal Safety Devices are very important to today's firefighters.  Personal Safety Devices are the most important piece of firefighting PPE and they are also the newest piece of PPE.  In 1863, James Braidwood invented a breathing apparatus, which is credited as being the first breathing apparatus for firefighters.  It used air pumped from bellows through a hose and into a mask, it was dubbed the "Smoke mask", and it was barely used because it was unreliable and bulky.[14]  During and after World War II firefighters started to use gas masks, but they did not protect against Carbon Monoxide or work in the oxygen-deficient environment that a firefighter does, because it could only filter in outside air.[15]  In 1945, Scott Aviation introduced the Scott Air Pack which went on to become the SCBA that firefighters use today.[16]  A Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus is now a very essential piece of firefighting gear because it provides important protection the firefighters: lungs, respiratory tract, eyes, and face.[17]  It weighs about 30 pounds and can hold up to 30 minutes of air.  It is worn on the firefighters back and is connected to an airtight mask that fits securely on the firefighters face.  The Personal Alert Safety System, or PASS, is the other very important piece of PPE.  The PASS was first introduced to the firefighters in 1982, when the NFPA set the standards for them.[18]  The PASS is a small battery operated box that has motion detectors attached all over it.[19]  If the device does not detect any motion for 15-30 seconds it sounds a low beep to warn the firefighter that it is about to activate, so that if the firefighter is alright he can move so it does not sound a false alarm.  If the firefighter is seriously injured or trapped he will not be able to move so the device will then emit a 95 decibel alarm to notify the other firefighters that one of their brothers is in trouble.   If the firefighter is lost of trapped in he can manually activate the system.  It can easily be activated while wearing gloves and is made to be safe to operate in flammable conditions.[20]  It has saved countless lives of firefighters who were just trying to do their job.   Firefighter's personal safety devices have evolved from nothing to the most important piece of Personal Protection Equipment in the firefighter's possession.

             Civilians are rescued every day by firefighters due to the evolution of their helmets, clothing, and personal safety devices.    The Personal Protective Equipment can weigh as much as 75 pounds total.  Though it is very heavy, the firefighters know how to work in it, as well as knowing how important their PPE is to their safety in their very dangerous job.   Without the PPE of today firefighters would be unable to enter the burning building to rescue those trapped inside by the raging fire and the death rate by fire would skyrocket.  "Without a doubt, no equipment is more important than the gear that is used to protect firefighters from the many hazards they confront. Dependent on the nature of the emergency incident, firefighters always utilize some level of Personal Protective Equipment to help shield themselves from injury."[21]  Large strides have been made in the evolution of firefighters PPE and as a result, the firefighters of today are much safer than those of decades past.