NFPA STANDARDS and WILDLAND MASKS/RESPIRATORS and HOT SHIELD:
CLARIFYING A CONFUSING ISSUE

 

RELEVANT P.P.E. STANDARDS FOR WILDLAND FIREFIGHTING

NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) publishes two standards applicable to wildland firefighting protective clothing & equipment. #1977 Standard on Protective Clothing & Equipment for Wildland Firefighting contain requirements for wildland firefighting clothing and equipment, but does not include respirators. #1984 Standard on Respirators for Wildland Fire-Fighting Operations is specific to wildland respiratory protection only. Standards include certifications, inspections, specialized testing, verification of product compliance, labeling requirements, design requirements, performance requirements and specific test methods. Editions are published approximately every five (5) years, Yr 2022 is the latest edition. 

 

LIMITATIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS TO NFPA STANDARDS

Committee and voting members are comprised of dozens of manufacturers but only a handful of firefighters. The Standards actually “define” each specific item of PPE, and further, define a“design requirement”. These constraints necessarily and severely constrain any PPE innovation or design that differs from the Standard(s) regardless if the different design actually can protect the firefighter better.

 

RE: #1984 STANDARD ON RESPIRATORS FOR WILDLAND FIRE-FIGHTING OPERATIONS:

NFPA Standard #1984 was created in the absence of mask/device/garment that could meet it….yes, you read that correctly. To date, no company has created a product/device/garment that can meet Standard #1984. This has created confusion for any department trying to decide whether or not to adopt a #1984 since no product exists that can meet #1984.

 

IS THERE SUCH A THING AS “CERTIFIED BY NFPA” or “APPROVED BY NFPA”? MORE CONFUSION.

NFPA (the National Fire Protection Association) doesn’t “certify” or “approve” anything, including protective clothing & equipment. NFPA committees set minimum standards for clothing & equipment. For any manufacturer to claim their product “meets or exceeds” any NFPA standard, that product must meet every single line item in the standard without exception, regardless if any portion of the standard is impractical or limits the scope of products that could offer better protection.

 

THERMAL PROTECTION REQUIREMENTS OF NFPA (AND REAL LIFE)

Many don’t realize the thermal protection requirements of NFPA #1977 are set very low indeed. However, human skin begins to burn (1st degree burn; sunburn for example) at a mere 116 degrees F.  We believe it is vitally important not to lull ourselves into a false sense of security just because a particular piece of wild land protective clothing can meet or exceed a “Standard”. We submit that real life burn protection is far more important than “meeting” minimal requirements.

 

HOW DO HOT SHIELD MASKS COMPARE TO NFPA STANDARD #1977?

We never claim our masks are “NFPA approved” or “NFPA certified”. Unlike some companies who feature the NFPA logo in their advertisements, you will never find a NFPA logo anywhere on Hot Shields website, printed or digital communications. We do rightly claim our masks and respirator housings far exceed any thermal performance requirements found in Standards #1977 (Wildland PPE) and #1971 (Structural PPE). We employ a unique design and use CarbonX materials, the most inherently thermally resistant fabric in the world. Read on.

 

NFPA TEST REQUIREMENTS & TEST RESULTS ON HOT SHIELD FABRICS

Below are portions of NFPA #1977-2022 Edition (specifically 7.5 “Protective Face/Neck Shroud Item Performance Requirements”). Note the test results of the Hot Shield/CarbonX 2-layer fabric combo are listed in italicized bold print.

 

CHAPTER 7 - PROTECTIVE GARMENT ITEM PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS.

7.1.1 Garment textile fabrics shall be tested for radiant protective performance as specified in Section 8.2, Radiant Protective Performance (RPP) Test, and shall have an average RPP value of not less than 7. CarbonX RST-75 & C-59 fabric combination layers used in all Hot Shield masks received a tested rating of 11.1. [Exceeds].

 

7.1.2 Garment textile fabrics, collar linings, winter liners where provided, lettering, and other materials used in garment construction — including but not limited to labels, linings, padding, reinforcements, bindings, hanger loops, emblems, and patches, but excluding hook and pile fasteners, elastic, and interlinings where not in direct contact with the skin — shall be individually tested for resistance to flame as specified in Section 8.3, Flame Resistance Test, and shall not have a char length of more than 100 mm (4 in.) average, shall not have an afterflame of more than 2 seconds average, and shall not melt or drip. CarbonX RST-75 & C-59 fabric combination layers used in all Hot Shield masks received a tested rating of 1” char length & after flame of zero (0) seconds. [Exceeds]

 

7.1.3 Garment textile fabrics and interlinings, winter liners where provided, and collar linings shall be individually tested for resistance to heat as specified in Section 8.4, Heat and Thermal Shrinkage Resistance Test, and shall not shrink more than 10 percent in any direction. CarbonX RST-75 fabric (Hot Shield outer shell) received a tested rating of -4.3% & -1.5%. CarbonX C-59 fabric (Hot Shield inside liner) received a tested rating of -1.6% & -3.4%. [Exceeds]

 

7.5 Protective Face/Neck Shroud Item Performance Requirements.

7.5.1 Protective face/neck shroud textile fabrics shall be tested for radiant protective performance as specified in Section 8.2, Radiant Protective Performance (RPP) Test, and shall have an average RPP value of not less than 7. CarbonX RST-75 & C-59 fabric combination layers used in all Hot Shield masks received a tested rating of 11.1 [Exceeds]

 

7.5.2 Protective face/neck shroud textile fabrics and other materials used in garment construction — including but not limited to labels, linings, padding, reinforcements, and bindings, but excluding hook and pile fasteners, elastic, and interlinings where not in direct contact with the skin—shall be individually tested for resistance to flame as specified in Section 8.3, Flame Resistance Test, shall not have a char length of more than 100 mm (4 in.) average, shall not have an after-flame of more than 2 seconds average, and shall not melt or drip. CarbonX RST-75 & C-59 fabric combination layers used in all Hot Shield masks received a tested rating of 1” char length & after flame of zero (0) seconds. [Exceeds]

 

 

7.5.3 Protective face/neck shroud textile fabrics and interlinings shall be individually tested for resistance to heat as specified in Section 8.4, Heat and Thermal Shrinkage Resistance Test, and shall not shrink more than 10 percent in any direction. CarbonX RST-75 fabric (Hot Shield outer shell) received a tested rating of -4.3% & -1.5%. CarbonX C-59 fabric (Hot Shield inside liner) received a tested rating of -1.6% & -3.4%. [Exceeds]

 

7.5.4 Protective face/neck shroud textile fabrics and interlinings and other materials used in face/neck shroud construction —including but not limited to padding, reinforcements, labels, closures, fasteners, and bindings, but excluding hook and pile fasteners and elastic where not in direct contact with the skin— shall be individually tested for resistance to heat as specified in Section 8.4, Heat and Thermal Shrinkage Resistance Test, and shall not melt, drip, separate, or ignite. In addition, face/neck shroud outer-shell textile fabrics shall not char. CarbonX RST-75 fabric (Hot Shield outer shell) received a tested rating of -4.3% & -1.5%. CarbonX C-59 fabric (Hot Shield inside liner) received a tested rating of -1.6% & -3.4%. [Exceeds]

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TESTING DATA MODEL HS-2 WILDLAND FIREFIGHTER FACE MASK

Note: The performance of the two layer fabrics used in Hot Shield HS-2 exceed several critical NFPA #1977 tests, including the RPP (Radiant Protective Performance) ASTM F1939, the TPP (Thermal Protective Performance) ISO 17492, the Flame Resistance (Vertical Flame Test) ASTM D6413, the Cleaning/Shrinkage Resistance Test AA135, and the Seam Breaking Test ASTM 1683. The graph below summarizes the performance ratings of the Hot Shield HS-2 mask with CarbonX materials when tested against NFPA #1977 requirements.