F A Qs Frequently Asked Questions

Transcription

1 System Questions: F A Qs Q. What is isodri? What is better about it? A. First and foremost, isodri is a system that uses only low moisture regain materials in the liner system and the outer shell. Also, the wristlets and knee reinforcements have low moisture regain capacity. Q. What is moisture regain? A. It s the capacity of the material to store water. Usually, the stored water (moisture regain) is expressed as a percentage of the dry weight of the material. For example, if a system is 20 ounces when it s dry, but 60 ounces when it s wet, it has tripled its weight by picking up twice its dry weight in absorbed water. The moisture regain would be 200%. Q. If low moisture regain is the feature, what s the benefit? A. There is a number of benefits to the isodri system, but there are three main advantages that relate to water resistance: 1. Obviously, the gear will be lighter than traditional systems when wet 2. Because the gear absorbs so little water, it will dry far more quickly between runs 3. Water stores heat, takes a long time to cool down, and at 200F moisture then transfers heat up to 21 times faster than insulating air. Q. Does that mean a fire fighter won t get burned wearing isodri gear? A. There are many conditions that contribute to burn injuries. Training, fire conditions exposure time, intensity of thermal flux, the amount of water within the system and the location of the water are just a few of the variables. Reducing the amount of water reduces some of the variables, but cannot guarantee to reduce all of them. Q. Will isodri prevent steam burns? A. No, isodri systems will not prevent steam burns. But, isodri is a dry system, and we believe dry systems reduce the potential for these types of burn injuries. Water from hoses & rain are still present to wet gear outside inward & heavy sweating wets the inside outward. We can t totally eliminate the danger of water in the system, but the isodri approach CAN REDUCE IT. All the elements in each isodri system configuration are engineered of low moisture absorbing & faster drying materials. Steam, scald, hot water, hot vapor burns, etc. are caused by moisture in the system that heats up enough to cause burn injury... even at temperatures much lower than it takes to show damage to textiles of Nomex, Kevlar or PBI fibers. IsodriFAQ.doc Rev. 09/2009Page 1 of 10

2 Q. Fire fighting is hard work. All fire fighters sweat. If perspiration isn t soaked up by the system, where does the water go? A. As liquid, it goes into undergarments and uniforms! Some sweat will still wick into the system, as well. Finally, some sweat in the form of body vapor will migrate through the porous liner system, including the semi-permeable moisture barrier, and evaporate. But, whether the turnout s liner system is isodri compliant or not, fire fighter sweat wets the fire fighter s skin first, then underclothing and stationwear. In traditional systems, the sweat then wets all clothing layers, one after another, as it expands outward, layer by layer. As those layers become saturated, they lose efficiency and gain weight. When water in the system expands, it is not vacating one layer as it captures the next layer. It s just water spreading throughout the entire protective envelope. There is absolutely no good place in the system for liquid sweat; but the worst place is in the thermal barrier. Teflon F/PPE Questions: Q. Is the Teflon in the isodri system like the stuff on my carpet, or the stuff I put on my windshield, or the stuff in a frying pan, or the stuff that Gore-Tex is made from? A. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Sort of. It s the same in many ways, but different in some. The mill (SCFT) that applies the Teflon F/PPE finish to the outer shell has applied for a patent on their unique process. Some of the chemistry and the process is different than the Stainmaster carpet treatment, for example, but some is similar.. Teflon is not so much a specific product, as it is a series of performance criteria directed toward specific end uses. And, DuPont has set very high performance criteria for the use of Teflon F/PPE in fire fighter protective clothing. Q. Does the Teflon F/PPE treatment make the coat bloodborne pathogen resistant? A. All NFPA 1971 turnout gear is tested and certified versus blood borne pathogen resistance. The main contributors are (A) the moisture barrier (B) seam sealing of barriers and (C) garment design. DO NOT CONFUSE the Teflon F/PPE treatment with the Teflon film in high performance moisture barriers. The Teflon F/PPE treatment or the PBI Gold + treatment will not create pathogen resistance. The isodri outer shells allow the gear to shed liquid and store less water. Q. Do Teflon-treated fabrics off-gas when exposed to flame or heat? At what temperature does this occur? Is this off-gassing harmful? A. Lion has underwritten extensive off-gassing studies and all data indicates that no components of any NFPA compliant turnout gear exhibits any potentially dangerous levels of gasses. Teflon (or its chemical components) is present to some degree in several commonly available elements of the ensemble. In fact, Teflon is the principal component in all PTFE moisture barriers, like CROSSTECH or Gore-Tex. Teflon does not off-gas excessively even in the quantities in which it is present in moisture barriers. PS: This same question arose as a distraction from the real issues in regard to FireWear and Rebound SRS, as well. IsodriFAQ.doc Rev. 09/2009Page 2 of 10

3 Outer Shell Questions: F A Qs Q. Can I mix and match parts of the isodri system with your regular turnout products, or mix and match shells and liners? A. No. Performance is best assured by wearing the complete system. Two reasons: An outer shell that soaks up a lot of water will diminish the dry value of an isodri liner. Changing to a better outer shell will make little improvement on the water in a traditionally oriented thermal barrier. A dry (Teflon-treated) outer shell without an isodri liner system is not of great value either. The thermal liner is the most critical element in the isodri system because it holds the insulating air. It also picks up most of its water from leaks around the closures, wrists or neck, or wicking from wet hoods and wet glove wristlets. A lot of the water that is stored in thermal liners is built up perspiration. In addition, battings (like Nomex quilts) have not been treated to reduce the amount of hot water they can store. Battings... like cotton balls... just soak up too much water. Q. What is the difference between PBI and PBI Gold +? A. "Plus" is PBI Performance Products Inc and Safety Components technologies name for the 'Teflon' DWR treatment. Plus is not available from Southern, Springs, etc. Plus is a more powerful DWR treatment than Southern s Shelltite or Spring s Hydropel treatments. Q. What s the difference between PBI Gold + and Power PBI? A PBI Gold + is a 7.5 osy base weight of the same construction (yarn size, threads/sq. inch & weave) as the PBI fabrics we are all familiar with. The difference...or Plus... is the superior water-repellent treatment on the SCFTI PBI. Power PBI Gold + is not just a better finish; it is also a better constructed fabric which uses finer yarns and more of them to deliver a very powerful textile at a slightly lighter weight (7 ounces). Power PBI is strong enough to outperform 7.5-ounce PBI blends and it s light enough to replace the 6.0 ounce PBI fabric. In terms of wet weight or working weight, 7 ounce Power PBI Gold + is usually lighter than 6 ounce Kevlar /PBI. Q. PBI is susceptible to UV damage. Does Power PBI have the same problem? A. All blends of Kevlar, Nomex or PBI are susceptible to UV color change or strength loss. Laboratory tests indicate there are some improvements against UV rays in some of the isodri outer shell fabrics, but the advantages do not appear to be significant. All gear should be protected as much as possible from sunlight and fluorescent lighting. Q. What is Fusion? A. An outer shell of producer [DuPont] colored [60%] Kevlar & [40%] Nomex fibers in a rip stop weave having a base weight of 7 ounces. The fabric is available in Brass [warm IsodriFAQ.doc Rev. 09/2009Page 3 of 10

4 yellow] & Bronze [dark tan], gold and black. It s finished with Teflon F/PPE, a durable water-repellent finish engineered especially for fire fighting gear. Q. Why do you call Fusion powerful alloy of Kevlar, Nomex and Teflon? A. An alloy uses the best properties of several ingredients to balance other shortcomings. Using Kevlar in fire fighting shells is the standard way of gaining high strength, but the Fusion alloy uses pigment dyed Kevlar and pigment dyed Nomex, and these two DuPont fibers are dyed and blended by DuPont, themselves. Most blends are mixed at the textile mill and then woven and then dyed. With Fusion, the critical alloy steps are done by DuPont. After weaving, the addition of Teflon FPPE is done by Safety Components... the mill that perfected the treatment. Q. Does Fusion have the same enhanced construction as Power PBI - finer fibers and more of them? A. Yes it does have finer and more fibers for an enhanced construction, but it is not exactly the same as the PBI. Q. How is Fusion any better than Advance from Southern Mills? A. Many reasons... First, because the fibers are pigment dyed (while they re still molten) even before they are blended and made into yarns, the colors are extremely consistent from roll to roll, garment to garment and year to year. The color stands up better to heat and sunlight, too. Second, pigment dyeing means the fabrics don t have to go through the extremely harsh fabric dyeing process that other Kevlar and Nomex blends go through. Dyeing and finishing of fabrics reduces the strength characteristics of Kevlar, in particular. Third, because of pigment dyeing and excellent construction of the fabric, the Fusion fabrics don t need the extra heavy reinforcement yarns that are in Advance. The Fusion ripstop is a very low profile and shows better wear characteristics. Fourth, while all outer shells have some kind of water repelling finish, the dry characteristics of Fusion are from a real Teflon brand fabric protector which is more effective and far more durable. Q. Are Teflon-treated shells so durable that they might make better reinforcements than Arashield or Leather? A. No. They are more durable than comparable outer shell fabrics, but not Arashield and leather. Q. How do you producer dye fabrics? IsodriFAQ.doc Rev. 09/2009Page 4 of 10

5 A. Producer dying occurs during the fiber manufacturing process. Pigments or insoluble dyes are introduced into the polymer prior to extruding the fiber. This results in good color continuity and color fastness. The process is much less damaging to the fibers, yarns and fabrics than traditional piece dyeing. Q. Why haven t we had producer dyed fabrics before? A. DuPont recently expanded their capacity by adding another state-of-the-art aramid fiber plant. This solved a capacity issue and reduced the cost of producer dyeing. In Europe, where appearance is a critical issue, producer dyeing of protective fabrics is the standard rather than the exception. Q. Can I use iron-on letters or heat seals with Fusion or Power PBI Gold +? A. Great question! Unfortunately, like many soils, water or fried eggs will not stick to Teflon; heat-transferred lettering will not adhere easily to these outer shells without the efforts of varying time and temperature. We recommend that you specify sewn-on letters for isodri outer shells. Liner Questions: Q. What s the difference between AraFlo and other E89 s? A. Araflo is an apertured improvement of DuPont s SLE-89. DuPont produces both products. Lion created and introduced AraFlo in 1992 as a scientifically formulated orientation of Nomex and Kevlar fibers into a non-woven fabric. The optimum number and size of the AraFlo apertures result in greatly improved air permeability. Q. Which one of the new liner offerings on the isodri would be the best wicking liner system? A. The Glide II facecloth in the traditional orientation wicks the best Other isodri Components Questions: Q. What is different about the isodri wristlet compared to common wristlets? A. Wristlets are like a sponge. They soak up water and can take hours to dry. The isodri wristlets are as water resistant as any other part of the system. Fire fighters who have worn the wristlets are astonished by the difference. Q. Can isodri wristlets be purchased separately? A. Wristlets are only available on isodri system coats. However, replacements for isodri coat liners may be purchased, when necessary, from Janesville or Body-Guard dealers. IsodriFAQ.doc Rev. 09/2009Page 5 of 10

6 Care and Use Questions: F A Qs Q: Should I hose down before I go into a fire? A. No, regardless of what gear you re wearing! Carrying extra water weight in your gear into a hot fire is Russian Roulette. One day you WILL be burned without warning. After leaving a hot fire, it is advisable to remove or loosen your PPE so it can cool off. If it s dry, it will cool down more quickly. Also, we do not recommend hosing down when leaving a hot environment. Q: Is the gear affected by commercial cleaning? A: isodri gear doesn t require any special handing beyond what normal PPE needs. The care instructions are the same and the isodri features stand up to dry cleaning and laundering. It s helpful to touch up the outer shell with an iron, also. It improves the water resistance after cleaning. Test gear used in the field and cleaned by National Safety Clean confirmed other tests, which showed a big difference between isodri materials and other systems. isodri works, and stands up to all recommended cleaning processes. Q. Does the current USE/CARE Guide still apply to the isodri system? A. Absolutely! The Lion Use/Care Guide (and the generic user guide published by FEMSA) contain strong warnings about the problems of wet gear. isodri helps in that area. As far as cleaning, care, maintenance, repair, etc., isodri garments are no different than other gear. They will wash a little easier and dry a lot faster, but the instructions are the same. Q. What is the warranty policy for the isodri system? A. The Lion Lifetime Warranty against all defects in materials or workmanship is identical for all Lion products. Q. What are the effects of the wetting agents in foam on Teflon treated shells? A. The surfactants in AFFF foam will alter the surface tension of the fabrics, and create a worst case in terms of water resistance. That s why the NFPA shower test has surfactants added to the water. The wetting agents do not damage the fabrics, and are removed by laundering Q. What are the effects of dry cleaning on Teflon treated shells? A. Do not commercially dry clean your turnouts, regardless of their composition. There are professional cleaning companies specializing in protective clothing, who use dry cleaning systems and chemistry which are acceptable in turnouts. Teflon F/PPE is not harmed by dry cleaning, but other parts of your gear (trim, lettering, adhesives, elastic, etc.) may be. IsodriFAQ.doc Rev. 09/2009Page 6 of 10

7 Q. What are the effects of Diesel Fuel on Teflon treated shells? A. It still needs to be appropriately cleaned from the garment, however the finish should slow the progress of the fuel from soaking into the fabric. Q A Some say that soil & particulate from the fireground that becomes embedded in the outer shell will reduce the water-resistant performance of the isodri fabrics. What s the story on this? It s true! There is absolutely no good reason to wear dirty turnouts. However, the Teflon F/PPE and the DWR finish on PBI Gold + are bonded to the fibers and are not diminished nearly as much as ordinary raincoat treatments. Extensive field evaluations give isodri a clear advantage. When your gear gets dirty, wash it! You will probably be surprised at isodri gear s ability to shed liquid borne stains, and how easy it is to clean. Drying time? No contest! Maybe you ll clean this gear a little more frequently. Test Method Questions: Q. What test methods can we anticipate with isodri fabrics and what do they mean? A. Some questions have occurred in regard to what some of these new tests are & what each is testing for. So, following are some brief descriptions for everyone: First some Acronyms spelled out: AATCC = American Association of Textile Chemist & Colorists ASTM = American Society for Testing & Materials FTM = Federal Test Method ANSI = American National Standards Institute Test Methods Abstracts + AATCC TM : Water Repellency; Tumble jar Dynamic Absorption Test. We shorten it & call it the 'Dynamic Absorption Test'. It's used to measure the resistance of a fabric to wetting by water. It measures the penetration of water into, NOT through a fabric. It further determines the water repellency property of the fibers & yarns in the fabric being tested & any treatment [finish] applied to the fabric. Specimens are exposed to water by tumbling in a stainless steel jar for 20 minutes so the wetting is severe. The amount of water & duration of exposure makes this test replicate field conditions better than many of the other water repel/absorb test methods in use. + AATCC TM : Water Repellency; Spray Test. It's used to measure the resistance of fabrics to wetting by water. The results obtained with this method depend primarily on the resistance or repellency of the fabric's finish or treatment. In other words; how good for how long is the 'Teflon' [PLUS] treatment. It's similar to FTM The Dynamic Absorption TM totally immerses the test fabric in water while this Spray TM 22 sprays water on the outside surface. IsodriFAQ.doc Rev. 09/2009Page 7 of 10

8 + DuPont Water Drop Test (DuPont Technical Laboratory Method) DuPont developed this method to determine a fabric's resistance to wetting by aqueous liquids. Drops of a water-alcohol mixture of varying surface tensions are placed on a fabric & the extent of surface wetting is determined visually. +FTM 5504, "Water Resistance of Coated Cloth; Spray Absorption Method, of Federal Test Method Standard 191A. This test is used to determine the resistance to water absorption of the uncoated side of a cloth having a waterproof coating [such as Neoprene]. I believe this test method goes back to the days before moisture barriers when outer shells were a Neoprene coated cloth. It's an inappropriate test that's easy to pass & isn't close to what fire fighter's experience in the field. This test is mandated by NFPA 1971 & the minimum performance requirement is 30% before & after 5 wash/dry cycles. This test method is also found in ProjectFIRES but, the minimum performance requirement is 10% before & after 5 wash/dry cycles. Fusion with 'Teflon' & Power PBI Gold + meet this ProjectFIRES performance criteria. +FTM 5526, Water Resistance of Cloth With Hydrophobic Finish; Spray Method, of Federal Test Method 191A. Similar to AATCC TM 22. (Hydrophobic: Water repelling. Having a low degree of moisture absorption or attraction to liquid) This test is used to determine the hydrophobic effectiveness of water-repellent finishes applied to cloth. ProjectFIRES specifies this test with a minimum performance criteria of a rating of 100 before wash & 90 after 5 wash/dry cycles. Fusion with 'Teflon' & Power PBI Gold + meet this ProjectFIRES performance criteria. +ASTM F 1359: Standard Practice for Evaluating the Liquid-Tight Integrity of Chemical Protective Clothing. The infamous 'Shower Test.' NFPA has modified it for Structural Gear as Follows: A. Water surface tension shall be 35 dynes/cm +/-5. This is to approximate the surface tension of human blood. This is accomplished by using a mix of water & surfactant. B. The Mannequin shall be fully upright with straight arms & legs. C. No provision for partial garments shall be permitted as exists in NFPA International Geometric Gray Scale-Color fastness Classification Table II Class 5- Negligible or no change as shown in Gray Scale Step 5. Class 4- A change in color = to Gray Scale Step 4. Class 3- A change in color = to Gray Scale Step 3. Class 2- A change in color = to Gray Scale Step 2. Class 1- A change in color = to Gray Scale Step 1. Fusion colors range from a Class 2-3 & better after 20 wash dry cycles & after 80 hours UV exposure in a water cooled xenon-arc lamp fading apparatus & after 5 minutes in a forced air circulating oven set at 500 degrees Fahrenheit. +FTM 5905, Flame Resistance of Material; High Heat Flux Flame Contact, of Federal Test Method 191A. It's a version of what we call the 'Vertical Flame' test. NFPA 1971 specifies FTM 5903 while ProjectFIRES specifies FTM The 2 test methods were designed to compliment each other. FTM 5905 involves a higher heat flux flame contact & is useful in predicting the flame resistance of materials not ignited by a low heat flux ignition source. IsodriFAQ.doc Rev. 09/2009Page 8 of 10

9 FTM is used to determine tendency to after-flame, glow & char. FTM 5905 is more severe [2 flame exposures] & is used to determine after-flame & amount consumed from flammable decomposition [% consumed]. isodri outer shells; Fusion & Power PBI Gold +, meet both the NFPA 1971 [5903] & ProjectFIRES [5905] performance criteria. Q. What is ProjectFIRES? A. The objective of ProjectFIRES was to design, fabricate, laboratory test and field test an integrated protective clothing ensemble for fire fighters that would address the known limitations of then available equipment, including severe heat stress, interference with movement and inadequate protection, especially from the heat experienced during flashovers, rollovers, and backdrafts. Grumman Aerospace was contracted to perform these tasks, under the direction of NASA, and in cooperation with a User Requirement and Technical Advisory Committees [URTAC] made up of Fire Service representatives. Today URTAC would be referred to as a Focus Group. Grumman Aerospace, under direction from the NASA, began the Project. The Project was ultimately completed through efforts of the IAFF, with funding from IAFF, USFA, FEMA, NASA and OSHA. In 1985, the IAFF published PROJECTFIRES The Final Report. ProjectFIRES proved the value of materials such as outer shells of PBI and breathable moisture barriers of Gore-Tex. Project FIRES research led to advances in garment design, as well, and established some clear targets and parameters for continued research and development into protective clothing and equipment design and materials. The design criteria and awareness which resulted from Project FIRES research continues to have great validity, even though today s fires are hotter than they were 15 years ago. For example, as early as 1978, in the NASA Phase 1A Final Report, Grumman reported: WATER - The primary problems associated with water at the fire scene arise when the fire fighter gets wet, possibly soaked, all the way through his undergarments. The clothing becomes uncomfortable and the weight of the water absorbed contributes substantially to fatigue. Also, a wet garment in foul weather may result in illness or, possibly in steam burns if the fire fighter suddenly comes in contact with a heat source. Thus, in the selection of materials, the designer must be concerned with water repellency and water absorption. In addition, consideration must be also given to breathability or porosity, particularly in the torso area, or the firefighter will swelter (as is currently the case). So, the problems aren t new. But the solution is. isodri outer shells meet all the water repellency & absorption performance requirements set forth in Project FIRES and, as far as we know, they are the only products which do! IsodriFAQ.doc Rev. 09/2009Page 9 of 10

10 Other Questions: F A Qs Q. I have never heard of Safety Components. Who are they? A. SCFTI (Safety Components Fabric Technologies, Inc.) is a specialist in high performance textiles. For example, they are a world leader in automotive air bags and air bag fabrics. All SCFTI fabrics are specification-driven so they understand the critical nature of the products in the isodri system. Located in Greenville, SC, SCFTI is an ISO 9002 mill and is registered as a QS 9000 manufacturer. SCFTI or their predecessor company also has produced millions of yards of Nomex and other aramid fabrics over the years. They know what they re doing. Teflon, Teflon F/PPE, Stainmaster, Nomex, Nomex Omega, Z200, Kevlar, E89, are trademarks of DuPont. PBI and PBI Gold+ are trademarks of Celanese Acetate Gore-Tex and CROSSTECH are trademarks of W.L. Gore Breathe-Tex is a trademark of Aldan Industries Fusion, and Glide are trademarks of Safety Components Fabric Technologies, Inc. Shelltite, Advance and Arashield are trademarks of Southern Mills Hydropel and FireWear are trademarks of Springs Protective Fabrics isodri, Rebound SRS, AraFlo, AraFlo Dri, and Slick 2000 are trademarks of Lion Apparel IsodriFAQ.doc Rev. 09/2009Page 10 of 10