Fire fighters practice with spraying equipment, March 1981

A fire proximity suit (also, silvers, silver bunker suit, or asbestos suit) is a suit designed to protect a

firefighter A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

volcanologist A volcanologist, or volcano scientist, is a geologist who focuses on understanding the formation and eruptive activity of volcanoes. Volcanologists frequently visit volcanoes, sometimes active ones, to observe and monitor volcanic eruptions, col ...

from extremely high temperatures. They were first designed and used in the 1930s. Originally made of

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

fabric, current models use vacuum-deposited

aluminized Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ...

materials.

History

Fire proximity suits first appeared during the 1930s, and were originally made of

fabric. Today they are manufactured from vacuum-deposited aluminized materials that reflect the high radiant loads produced by the fire. An early manufacturer of the aluminized suits was the Bristol Uniforms company under of Patrick Seager Hill.

Types

There are three basic types of these aluminized suits: * Approach suit—used for work in the general area of high temperatures such as

steel mill A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel. It may be an integrated steel works carrying out all steps of steelmaking from smelting iron ore to rolled product, but may also be a plant where steel semi-finish ...

s and smelting facilities. These usually provide ambient heat protection up to ≈. * Proximity suit—used for aircraft rescue and fire fighting (AR-FF) and, in more heavily insulated versions, for kiln work requiring entry into the heated kiln. The former provide ambient heat protection up to ≈, while the latter provide much higher degrees of protection, sometimes up to ≈. * Entry suit—used for entry into extreme heat and situations requiring protection from total flame engulfment. Most commonly made of Zetex or

vermiculite Vermiculite is a hydrous phyllosilicate mineral which undergoes significant expansion when heated. Exfoliation occurs when the mineral is heated sufficiently, and commercial furnaces can routinely produce this effect. Vermiculite forms by the wea ...

and not aluminized. These provide ambient protection up to ≈ for short duration, and prolonged

radiant heat Thermal radiation is electromagnetic radiation generated by the thermal motion of particles in matter. Thermal radiation is generated when heat from the movement of charges in the material (electrons and protons in common forms of matter) is ...

protection up to ≈. Complete proximity protection for AR-FF requires: * Aluminized hood or helmet cover with neck shroud * Aluminized jacket and pants complete with

vapor barrier A vapor barrier (or vapour barrier) is any material used for damp proofing, typically a plastic or foil sheet, that resists diffusion of moisture through the wall, floor, ceiling, or roof assemblies of buildings and of packaging to prevent inte ...

insulated liner * Aluminized lined gloves * Aluminized AR-FF boots *

Self-contained breathing apparatus A self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), sometimes referred to as a compressed air breathing apparatus (CABA) or simply breathing apparatus (BA), is a device worn to provide breathable air in an atmosphere that is immediately dangerous to ...

(SCBA) (aluminized covers for air bottles, or suits that cover the air pack are also available)

References

External links

* – contemporary article on asbestos suits {{Firefighting Firefighting equipment Fire protective clothing Environmental suits Safety clothing

History

Types

See also

References

External links