Evaluation of two cooling systems under a firefighter coverall

Lennart P J Teunissen, Li Chu Wang, Shih Nung Chou, Chin hsien Huang, Gwo Tsuen Jou, Hein A M Daanen*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    Abstract

    Firemen often suffer from heat strain. This study investigated two chest cooling systems for use under a firefighting suit. In nine male subjects, a vest with water soaked cooling pads and a vest with water perfused tubes were compared to a control condition. Subjects performed 30 min walking and 10 min recovery in hot conditions, while physiological and perceptual parameters were measured. No differences were observed in heart rate and rectal temperature, but scapular skin temperature and fluid loss were lower using the perfused vest. Thermal sensation was cooler for the perfused vest than for the other conditions, while the cool pad vest felt initially cooler than control. However, comfort and RPE scores were similar. We conclude that the cooling effect of both tested systems, mainly providing a (temporally) cooler thermal sensation, was limited and did not meet the expectations.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1433-1438
    Number of pages6
    JournalApplied Ergonomics
    Volume45
    Issue number6
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2014

    Keywords

    • Cooling
    • Fire fighting garments
    • Heat stress

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