Protective clothing for firefighters – Performance requirements for protective clothing for technical rescue. Equivalence with EN 16689:2017.
This standard indicates the minimum requirements for protective clothing for technical rescues, taking into account that, during an incident, there may be different hazards from those included in this standard (chemical, biological, electrical and radiological). In these cases, it may be necessary to wear more appropriate protective equipment.
This standard covers clothing design, minimum material performance levels, test methods, marking, and information to be provided by the manufacturer.
This standard does not apply to garments used to fight fires, forest fires or rescue in the event of fire, handling of hazardous chemicals, work with chainsaws and rescues in water and ropes unless combined with other specialized PPE.
This standard does not cover the protection of hands, feet and head, as well as chemical, radiological and electrical hazards.
PRE-TREATMENT: According to the manufacturer’s instructions (default 5 wash cycles).
CONDITIONING: minimum 24 h at 20 ± 2ºC with a relative humidity of 65 ± 5%. The test will be carried out within 5 minutes of conditioning.
| TEST METHOD | TEST STANDARD | DESCRIPTION | REQUIREMENTS |
| FLAME SPREAD | EN ISO 15025
Method A |
Original fabric
Pre-treated fabric |
Minimum flame propagation index 3 according to EN ISO 14116 |
| HEAT TRANSFER | EN ISO 6942
Heat flow 20 kW/m2 |
Original fabric
Pre-treated fabric |
RHTI24 ≥ 7.0 s(*) |
| CONTACT HEAT | EN ISO 12127-1
(100 ºC) |
Pre-treated fabric | Threshold time ≥ 5.0 s(*) |
| TENSILE STRENGTH | EN ISO 13934-1
Or EN ISO 1421 Method 1 |
Pre-treated fabric | ≥ 450 N |
| EN ISO 13935-2 | Main seams | ≥ 225 N | |
| TEAR RESISTANCE | EN ISO 4674-1 Method B (Coated Fabrics)
EN ISO 13937-2 (uncoated fabrics) |
Pre-treated fabric | ≥ 25 N |
| ABRASION RESISTANCE | EN ISO 12947-2
12 kPa |
Pre-treated fabric
End point 2 broken threads |
Minimum 20,000 cycles |
| SURFACE WETTING (Optional) | EN ISO 4920
(20 ºC) |
Pre-treated fabric | Spray ≥ 4 |
| ELECTROSTATIC PROPERTIES
(Optional) |
EN 1149-5 | Pre-treated fabric | According to EN 1149-5 |
| DIMENSIONAL STABILITY | EN ISO 5077 | 5 washing cycles according to manufacturer’s instructions | Openwork fabrics ± 3%
Knitted or non-woven fabrics ± 5% |
| WATER VAPOR RESISTANCE | EN ISO 11092 | Pre-treated fabric | ≤ 20 m2 Pa/W |
| RESISTANCE TO PENETRATION OF BLOODBORNE PATHOGENS
(if applicable**) |
ISO 16604 | Pre-treated fabric | ISO 16604 procedure A or B |
| RESISTANCE TO VIRAL PENETRATION
(if applicable**) |
ISO 16604 | Pre-treated fabric | ISO 16604 procedure A or B |
| VISIBILITY | EN ISO 20471 | Class 2 according to EN ISO 20471 | |
| BURST RESISTANCE | EN ISO 13938-1
EN ISO 13938-2 |
Pre-treated fabric
Knitwear |
100 kPa area 50 cm2
200 kPa area 7.3 cm2 |
(*) The result will be rounded to one decimal place and ranked according to the lowest single result
(**) It must be complied with in case the manufacturer claims that the garment/fabric has this property
DESIGN
General requirements according to EN ISO 13688 in addition to those specific to this standard.
Protective clothing should protect the torso, neck, arms up to the wrists, and legs up to the ankles during search and rescue activities other than fire.
Protective clothing must be made of materials that are resistant to accidental ignition fires. In addition, it must provide protection to the user against weather conditions, rough surfaces, as well as mechanical strength and visibility requirements.
Clothing may not restrict any movement to the wearer.
If the protection is given by means of a 2-piece outer suit, the jacket must be superimposed on the pants at all times and in the face of any movement.
The pockets must be able to close completely. The flaps must be sewn or have the ability to close the pocket. The measurements of these flaps will be 20 mm wider than the opening (10 mm on each side) to prevent the flap from entering the pocket.
The zippers must have a protective flap on the outside of the garment. In the case of using buttons, their maximum distance will be 150 mm. In the case of using zippers, they must be able to be locked when they are completely closed.
The sleeves and bottoms of the pants must not have hems. They may have side openings which must have a means of closure and the opening and closure must be covered.
Protective clothing may not have sharp edges, roughness, or protrusions that could cause injury to the wearer.
The collar of the garment must remain upright when closed around the neck and must be able to open easily.
MARKING
According to EN ISO 13688
This standard does not require a pictogram
