@article{girase_thompson_ormond_2023, title={Impact of conventional and advanced cleaning techniques on the durability of firefighter turnout ensembles}, volume={10}, ISSN={["2296-8016"]}, DOI={10.3389/fmats.2023.1138652}, abstractNote={The concern for firefighters’ occupational exposure to harmful contaminants is growing due to the increase in health issues in the firefighting community. At such times, effective decontamination of personnel and equipment is an essential component of a hazard mitigation strategy. The current decontamination practices used for firefighter protective clothing have been shown to not be very effective. Hence, the scientific community is looking for several alternatives to conventional washing procedures. Liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) has been used in laundering and has distinct advantages over conventional dry-cleaning solvents such as perchloroethylene. The following study is aimed to assess how different washing procedures affect the durability of the turnout material. The study includes using three washing procedures on different samples: 1) conventional washing procedure, 2) liquid CO2 washing procedure, and 3) a high-temperature washing procedure. Samples for durability testing were constructed from a common aramid fabric used in firefighter turnout ensembles. These swatches were subjected to different washing techniques. The durability assessment was performed for physical testing of the samples, visual inspection, water repellency, and quantifying color changes using spectrophotometric analysis. The conventional wash and high-temperature washing affected the durability of the outer shell material in a significant manner. The liquid CO2 process did not affect the samples’ water repellency or physical strength. In contrast, conventional and high-temperature washing significantly affected the durability of the outer shell material. However, all samples met the criteria for tearing strength outlined in the NFPA 1971 standard subsection 7.1.11.}, journal={FRONTIERS IN MATERIALS}, author={Girase, Arjunsing and Thompson, Donald B. and Ormond, R. Bryan}, year={2023}, month={Jul} } @article{bradham_thompson_barker_morton-aslanis_deaton_2013, title={A method for determining off-gassing of protective fabrics exposed to simulated flash fire conditions}, volume={13}, number={6}, journal={AATCC Review}, author={Bradham, A. and Thompson, D. and Barker, R. and Morton-Aslanis, J. and Deaton, A. S.}, year={2013}, pages={57–65} } @article{ormond_barker_beck_thompson_deaton_2012, title={Factors Influencing the Uptake Rate of Passive Adsorbent Dosimeters Used in the Man-in-Simulant-Test}, volume={1544}, ISSN={["0066-0558"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84873388951&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1520/stp104205}, journal={PERFORMANCE OF PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT, 9TH VOL: EMERGING ISSUES AND TECHNOLOGIES}, author={Ormond, R. Bryan and Barker, Roger and Beck, Keith and Thompson, Donald and Deaton, Shawn}, year={2012}, pages={247–265} } @article{bradham_beck_thompson_barker_montero_deaton_2011, title={Analytical techniques for measuring toxic industrial chemicals in CBRN boot materials}, volume={11}, number={6}, journal={AATCC Review}, author={Bradham, A. E. and Beck, K. R. and Thompson, D. B. and Barker, R. L. and Montero, G. A. and Deaton, A. S.}, year={2011}, pages={67–72} } @article{barker_deaton_liston_thompson_2010, title={A CB Protective Firefighter Turnout Suit}, volume={16}, ISSN={["2376-9130"]}, DOI={10.1080/10803548.2010.11076835}, abstractNote={This paper describes research that developed a prototype chemical and biological (CB) protective firefighter suit. It is presented as a case study demonstrating an integrated systems approach to designing, developing and evaluating a protective clothing ensemble based on end user requirements. It includes a discussion of the process that was used to gain an understanding of firefighter performance needs for a structural turnout suit that also incorporated chemical protection. It describes the design features of the turnout suit that were developed to meet these expectations as well as the program of testing and evaluation used to characterize garment performance. It discusses ensemble level performance evaluations in instrumented fire manikin tests and man-in-stimulant test procedures. It describes studies conducted to determine the impact of prototype garment design features on heat stress, wear comfort and ergonomic function in structural firefighting applications.}, number={2}, journal={INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND ERGONOMICS}, author={Barker, Roger and Deaton, Shawn and Liston, Gail and Thompson, Donald}, year={2010}, pages={135–152} } @article{jasper_hinestroza_mohan_kim_shiels_gunay_thompson_barker_2006, title={Effect of xylene exposure on the performance of electret filter media}, volume={37}, ISSN={["0021-8502"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.jaerosci.2005.06.008}, abstractNote={Performance degradation of electret filter media when exposed to xylene was investigated using a custom-made exposure apparatus. Three types of electret filter media were exposed to xylene in liquid and gas phases. Experimental data indicated that the penetration percentage of di-octyl-phtalate (DOP) aerosols through electret filter media was not influenced by exposure to xylene vapors for periods up to 8 h. The filtration performance for all three types of electret filter media decreased over 30% when the samples were exposed to liquid xylene. Pressure drop changes of the filter media prior and after exposure to liquid xylene were statistically negligible. Neither morphological changes nor degradation of the polymer fibers were observed after exposure of the filter media samples to liquid xylene. Thermodynamic simulations were performed to determine the molar flux of liquid and gas phases through the filter media specimens. Experimental results obtained via capillary gas chromatography were within 4% of the predicted values. The decrease in performance was attributed to changes in the density and spatial distribution of the electret charges on the surface of the polymer fibers.}, number={7}, journal={JOURNAL OF AEROSOL SCIENCE}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Jasper, W. and Hinestroza, J. and Mohan, A. and Kim, J. and Shiels, B. and Gunay, M. and Thompson, D. and Barker, R.}, year={2006}, month={Jul}, pages={903–911} } @article{song_barker_grimes_thompson_2005, title={Comparison of methods used to predict the burn injuries in tests of thermal protective fabrics}, volume={2}, DOI={10.1520/jai12117}, abstractNote={A study was conducted to compare the two methods, Henriques Burn Integral and Stoll criteria, in thermal protective performance evaluation on firefighter clothing composites exposed to various thermal hazards. The thermal hazards that the firefighter may encounter during fire fighting are low level thermal radiation and high intensity flashover fire. With the simulation of these thermal hazards in the lab, the heat flux behind exposed clothing composites are characterized with flux rise rate and peak heat flux. Comparisons were performed on the prediction differences of clothing system made using Henriques Burn integral and Stoll criteria under different conditions. The study demonstrated that in some cases less difference is predicted by the two methods, while in other cases a significant difference is observed. Several recommendations were made for the qualitative prediction of garment and fabric thermal protective performance under different situations.}, number={2}, journal={Journal of ASTM International}, author={Song, G. and Barker, R.L. and Grimes, D.R. and Thompson, D.}, year={2005} } @article{jasper_hinestroza_mohan_thompson_barker_2005, title={Effect of phase of toluene on filtration performance of electret filter media against di-octyl-phthalate aerosols}, volume={22}, journal={Journal of the International Society for Respiratory Protection}, author={Jasper, W. and Hinestroza, J. and Mohan, A. and Thompson, D. and Barker, R.L.}, year={2005}, pages={97–105} } @article{song_barker_thompson_grimes_2004, title={Effects of simulated flash fire and variations in skin model on manikin fire test}, volume={1}, DOI={10.1520/jai12116}, abstractNote={An established numerical model of a manikin fire test, which has the capability of predicting heat transfer through thermally protective clothing exposed to an intense heat environment, is described in this paper. The model considers the fire characteristics simulated in a manikin chamber as well as the insulating air layers between protective garments and the skin surface. The numerical model is applied to analyze the effects of simulated flash fire and variations in a skin model on a manikin test. The study demonstrates that the heat flux measured by 122 thermal sensors over the surface of the manikin exhibits a bell-shaped Gaussian distribution for a short duration in calibration burn. A series of flash fire data with different distributions was generated statistically, and the effects on burn predictions were investigated. The results suggest that the fire distribution affects the burn predictions for 4 s of exposure. The effects of initial temperature distribution, thermal properties, as well as involvement of blood perfusion in a skin model on burn predictions are also discussed. The model predictions demonstrate that the initial temperature distribution in a skin model has a large effect on burn predictions for a one-layer garment exposed to short duration flash fire conditions.}, number={7}, journal={Journal of ASTM International}, author={Song, G. and Barker, R.L. and Thompson, D. and Grimes, R.}, year={2004} } @inproceedings{deaton_barker_thompson_2002, title={An advanced sweating manikin for measuring the heat stress of protective clothing}, booktitle={Textile Technology Forum: October 23, 2002, proceedings 2002, IFAI Expo 2002, October 24-26, 2002, Charlotte, N.C. USA}, publisher={Roseville, MN: Industrial Fabrics Association International}, author={Deaton, A.S. and Barker, R. and Thompson, D.}, year={2002} }