Quick answers
What does a firefighter's PPE include?
A helmet, protective hood, coat and trousers, gloves, boots, breathing apparatus (SCBA) with its facepiece, a personal alarm and a radio. The parts must fit together and be worn correctly as one set.
Can a filter mask protect firefighters in smoke?
No. Smoke and unknown or oxygen-poor air need positive-pressure SCBA, because filter masks do not supply oxygen and do not stop gases such as carbon monoxide.
Does turnout gear make it safe to stay inside a burning building?
No. It slows the heat but does not give unlimited protection or prevent every burn, and heavy gear makes the body overheat faster. Safety still depends on command, staying with the crew, air management and pulling out early.
Why should firefighters not take dirty gear home?
Soot and smoke residue can pass from the gear to skin, vehicles, stations and homes. Gear should be taken off carefully, bagged, cleaned and inspected, and kept out of living areas.
Is PPE the first line of defence?
No, it is the last. First remove or reduce the hazard, then use engineering controls and safe ways of working, and use PPE for the risk that is left.
Can one set of fire safety gear be used for every job?
No. Firefighter turnout gear, welding clothing, electrical arc-rated gear and chemical suits are made for different hazards and cannot be swapped. Choose PPE for the actual task.
Does IS 16890 cover a firefighter's whole kit?
No. IS 16890:2018 covers protective clothing for the torso, neck, arms and legs. Helmets, gloves, boots and breathing apparatus are separate items that must work with the suit.
Is sitting through a PPE training session enough?
No. Each wearer should show they can check, put on, adjust, use and take off their own gear correctly, and should be retrained after a new model, a change of task or an incident.
When should PPE be taken out of use?
When it is damaged, fails inspection, has been through severe heat, chemicals or impact, is recalled, or its records are lost. Age is not the only test. Keep doubtful items aside until a competent person decides.
A firefighter walks towards heat and smoke that everyone else is running from. What lets them do that and come back out is not courage alone. It is a set of gear, worn correctly, checked before every shift and backed by training: helmet, hood, coat and trousers, gloves, boots and breathing apparatus.
This article explains what each part of firefighting PPE protects against, why the parts have to work together, and what PPE cannot do.
How firefighting gear has changed
For a long time firefighters went into fires with very little protection. As fire services learnt how many injuries came from heat, smoke and falling debris, the gear improved. A modern firefighting ensemble is a set of layers and parts designed to work together, each tested for a particular hazard.
What firefighting PPE protects against
- Heat and flame. The outer shell of a firefighter’s suit is made of flame-resistant material, often from fibres such as Nomex or Kevlar, which do not keep burning on their own. Under it are a moisture barrier, which stops water getting in from outside, and a thermal liner. Together the layers slow the heat reaching the body, so crews can get close enough to rescue people and control the fire. The suit delays heat; it does not block it forever, and sweat or water trapped inside can still cause steam burns.
- Smoke and toxic gases. In a fire, smoke and gases are as dangerous as the flames. Filter masks and other air-purifying respirators cannot do this job. They only clean the air around the wearer; they do not supply oxygen or stop gases such as carbon monoxide. Firefighters entering smoke therefore wear positive-pressure self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), which brings its own air in a sealed facepiece. Members of the public should never rely on a mask to enter or stay in smoke: get out, keep low under the smoke and call 112.
- Impact and puncture. Debris, falling objects, broken glass and nails are everyday hazards inside a burning building. Helmets, gloves and boots are reinforced against impact, cuts and punctures.
- Being seen. Reflective strips help crew members see each other in smoke and at night. They help, but they do not replace staying together, radio contact and someone at the entry point keeping track of who is inside.
- Movement. Firefighters have to crawl, climb, kneel and carry tools. Good gear is cut and sized to allow this without opening gaps between the layers. Heavy, insulated gear also traps body heat, so heat exhaustion is a real risk even in well-made kit.
PPE is the last line of defence
PPE protects only the person wearing it, and only while it is worn and fitted correctly. Safety professionals rank controls in a fixed order: remove the hazard, replace it with something less dangerous, engineer it away, change how the work is done, and only then rely on PPE. On the fireground, that means size-up, command, ventilation and the building’s own fire safety still come first. The gear covers the risk that is left.
Firefighting gear is not the same as other fire-work PPE
- Firefighter suits: IS 16890:2018 sets the design, performance and test requirements for firefighters’ protective clothing against heat and flame. It covers the torso, neck, arms and legs, not the head, hands or feet. Helmets, hoods, gloves and boots have to be chosen separately and must close up properly with the suit.
- Welding and hot work: IS 16655:2017 covers protective clothing for welding and allied processes, where the hazards are sparks, spatter, molten metal and radiant heat. A welder also needs the right eye shade, gloves and fume control. A welding jacket is not a turnout coat, and a turnout coat is not welding gear.
- Chemical, electrical and wildland work: each needs gear chosen for that hazard. Do not assume structural turnout gear protects against chemicals or an electrical arc because it protects against flame.
After the fire: dirty gear is a hazard too
Smoke leaves soot and chemicals on the gear, and these can pass to the skin, the fire tender, the station and even home. Gear should be taken off in a set order, bagged, cleaned by the approved method and kept out of living and eating areas. Household bleach, solvents or very hot washes can damage the protective layers, so follow the maker’s cleaning instructions.
If you are a firefighter or on a company fire team, put on your full kit before your next shift and check every join: hood to mask, glove to sleeve, coat to trousers, trousers to boots. Then crawl and reach as you would at a fire. Any gap that opens is a gap the heat will find.
What needs attention
- The old article rightly covered heat, flame, impact and movement, but treated PPE too loosely and did not explain its limits
- It said full-face respirators with high-efficiency filters give clean air in fire smoke; that was unsafe, as filters do not supply oxygen or stop every toxic gas
- Firefighter clothing is layered and judged on performance; naming a fibre such as Nomex or Kevlar does not prove the whole garment is suitable
- A moisture barrier keeps water out, but water and sweat inside the suit can still cause steam or compression burns
- Reflective strips help visibility but cannot replace roll calls, lighting, radio discipline and staying with the crew in thick smoke
- More insulation can also mean more heat strain, more bulk and clumsier hands, so protection and body strain have to be managed together
- Parts can each pass their own test and still fail at work if the joins leave gaps or restrict movement
- An SCBA cylinder's rated time is not working time; effort, cylinder pressure, the wearer's body and conditions all change how fast air runs out
- Taking off the facepiece during overhaul can expose firefighters after the visible fire is out
- Dirty gear kept in cabs, bedrooms, offices, kitchens or private cars spreads contamination
- Cleaning has to protect the gear; bleach, solvents, too much heat or home washing machines can damage it
- A helmet, hood or coat that has been through severe heat, chemicals, impact or a suspected failure needs a proper check, not a quick look before reuse
- No single set of gear covers structural fire, wildfire, hazardous materials, electrical arc, heat-proximity and medical response
Controls that reduce risk
- Record every PPE item by wearer, model, size, issue date, inspection status and the set it belongs to
- Make sure purchase specifications name the applicable Indian standard and performance level
- Withdraw any unverified, fake, expired, damaged or incompatible gear
- Write a pre-use check covering clothing, helmet, hood, gloves, boots, SCBA, facepiece, cylinder, alarm, radio and accessories
- Arrange medical fitness checks, fit testing and SCBA training on the actual model used
- Do not allow facial hair or anything else under a tight-fitting facepiece seal
- Train crews to dress fully, close every join and do function and seal checks before entry
- Set air-management and withdrawal rules that keep reserve air for getting out and for emergencies
- Drill MAYDAY calls, the personal alarm, emergency air, entanglement and low-visibility situations
- Watch for heat strain and provide proper rest, cooling, water and medical checks
- Keep SCBA on through overhaul until air monitoring and the incident commander say it can come off
- Set up on-scene cleaning, careful removal, skin washing, bagging and separate transport of dirty gear
- Provide approved washing, drying, inspection, repair and clean storage away from living areas
- Record any severe heat, chemical, impact or equipment event and set aside the gear involved
- Check fit and movement at the joins while crawling, climbing, reaching, kneeling and handling tools
- Choose gear for the incident: wildland, hazardous materials, electrical, heat-proximity, rescue or medical
Common unsafe practices
- Entering smoke without positive-pressure SCBA because a filter mask was available
- Using air-purifying respirators in unknown, oxygen-poor or immediately dangerous air
- Assuming a fibre name or the look of a product proves it meets the standard
- Mixing certified parts without checking they fit and work together
- Wearing the wrong size or leaving gaps at the coat, trousers, hood, gloves or boots
- Skipping fit tests, seal checks or medical fitness checks
- Letting facial hair, spectacles or straps get under the face seal
- Starting work with a cylinder that is not full, a damaged facepiece or an untested alarm
- Treating the cylinder's rated time as guaranteed working time
- Working alone, leaving the crew or ignoring the roll call
- Waiting for the low-air alarm before planning the way out
- Taking off the facepiece during overhaul before air monitoring says it is safe
- Carrying on despite signs of heat illness, damaged gear or worsening fire
- Carrying soot-covered gear in the cab or a private car
- Taking dirty turnout gear home or into living areas
- Cleaning gear with household bleach, solvents or very hot water
- Putting damaged or heavily exposed gear back into use without a recorded check
- Using structural turnout gear for chemical, electrical, wildland or heat-proximity work without proper selection
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