Firefighter Turnout Gear Durability Study-Evaluation of Visibility Trim

The high visibility trim requirements for NFPA 1971 (2007 ed.) turnout gear are intended to provide the user conspicuity enhancements in both daytime and nighttime environments. This study evaluated the reflectance, color and fluorescence properties of high visibility trim on firefighters used turnout gear. Forty-four used garments, grouped in age categories from 2 to 10 years (retired), were visually evaluated according to the Section 4 of the NFPA 1851-Advanced Inspection Checklist. Advanced inspection identified damaged trim on 21 of the 46 garments. The damaged areas, located primarily at the cuffs and lower front hem, were not as reflective but passed the subjective flashlight test. A data sampling plan for retroreflective values was constructed for the coats and pants and the coefficients of retroreflection were collected to provide a measure of the nighttime conspicuity. To characterize the fluorescent (daytime) properties of the trim on the used garments the values for fluorescence and color box coordinates were measured. The measured coefficient of retroreflection (R_A, cd/lux/m²) for all garments (average of all values in the sampling plan) was greater than 3× the minimum NFPA 1851 requirement. Therefore, all used gear provided substantial nighttime conspicuity enhancement including the retired gear.