AFRL CRADA Improves Safety Standards for US Firefighters

  • Published
  • By Human Effectiveness Directorate
  • AFRL/RH
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  A study taking place at AFRL's Computerized Anthropometric Research and Design Laboratory under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) could lead to improved safety standards--and, consequently, fewer deaths--for the nation's firefighters and rescuers. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation approached an anthropometry surface scanning company, Total Contact, Inc., to study the body size and shape of firefighters. The outcome of this inquiry was an AFRL/industry CRADA enabling the use of the lab's three-dimensional anthropometric body scanner to aid the study. The data will facilitate development of new industry guidelines towards improving the fit and function of firefighter/rescuer safety equipment, clothing, and vehicles. This data will also become part of the Air Force (AF) anthropometry program database.

Statistics from the International Association of Fire Chiefs reveal that outdated manufacturing guidelines related to the large size and bulk of turnout gear, along with inadequate fire engine seat design, prevent 25% of US firefighters from buckling their seatbelts while riding in a fire engine. Since 2000, 52 firefighters have died as a result of traffic accidents involving fire engines; of these individuals, 36 were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident. In fact, motor-vehicle-related incidents--including vehicle rollovers--represent the second-leading cause of line-of-duty fatalities among firefighters.

Valid sampling requires a total of 120 firefighters, including females and minorities, to fully represent the firefighter population. Currently, 30 firefighters--mostly white males--have volunteered as test subjects. The study will dovetail with a comprehensive, separately funded project conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to collect anthropometric data from about 1,000 firefighters nationwide. The AF plans to broker a formal agreement with NIOSH to share information.

A firefighter's bulky turnout gear may weigh upwards of 20-40 lbs, with bulging pockets of equipment further hindering mobility. When sitting three or four abreast in a fire engine seat, firefighters often cannot buckle seatbelts properly or must use seatbelt extensions. Even when seatbelts are fastened, they may not work as intended because of improper fit when extended over the firefighters' gear. While anthropometry studies targeting other professions (e.g., police officers, nurses, agricultural workers, and truck drivers) have occurred, this effort marks the first-ever study involving firefighters.