The NFPA Fire Protection Research Foundation released the report Fire Fighter Equipment Operational Environment: Evaluation of Thermal Conditions written by UL FSRI’s Dan Madrzykowski.

The goal of this study was to review the available literature to develop a quantitative description of the thermal conditions firefighters and their equipment are exposed to in a structural fire environment. The thermal exposure from the modern fire environment was characterized through the review of fire research studies and fire ground incidents that provided insight and data to develop a range of quantification. This information was compared with existing standards for firefighting protective equipment to generate a sense of the gap between known information and the need for improved understanding. The comparison of fire conditions with the thermal performance requirements of firefighter protective gear and equipment demonstrates that a fire in a compartment can generate conditions that can fail the equipment that a firefighter wears or uses.

Thermal environment studies conducted in the 1970’s with FDNY and the Boston Fire Department were included in the review.

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Fire Fighter Equipment Operational Environment: Evaluation of Thermal Conditions