5 Things You Need To Know About Flame Resistant Garments
There are many things you need to know about flame resistant garments but here are the top 5:
1. How do normal fabrics react to ignition?
Normal fabrics and garments will burn away from the point of ignition with an increasing rate of flame spread and continue to burn after removal of the ignition source. Normal fabrics will continue to burn until are extinguished or all flammable material is consumed.
2. How do flame-resistant garments react to ignition?
Flame-resistant (FR) fabrics and garments are intended to resist ignition, prevent the spread of flames away from the immediate area of high heat impingement, and to self-extinguish almost immediately upon removal of the ignition source.
3. Do FR garments prevent burn injury?
FR garments will not provide significant protection from burn injury in the immediate area of contact with the ignition source. However, flame-resistant garments do provide protection against clothing ignition and sustained flame spread.
4. Are FR garments still effective if contaminated with flammable substances?
Flammable substances on FR garments will ignite and continue to burn on the surface of the FR garment. Flame-resistant garments should be immediately removed and replaced with clean FR apparel if they become fouled with flammable material. If laundering cannot remove flammable contaminants, the contaminated garments should be removed from service.
5. Is 100% cotton fabric “flame-resistant”?
There is a common perception that untreated 100% cotton fabric is somehow “flame-resistant”. This is simply NOT true. While heavyweight untreated 100% cotton fabrics may be more difficult to ignite, they can and will ignite and continue to burn if exposed to an ignition source.