Improved Flame-Resistant Uniforms Reduce Burn Injuries

U.S. soldiers serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom face a greater threat of burn injury than soldiers in previous conflicts, and the Army is responding by providing soldiers a wide array of flame-resistant clothing that provides head-to-toe protection. In Iraq, an increasing number of soldiers are routinely exposed to roadside bombs and other improvised explosive devices. Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier provides flame-resistant uniforms to every soldier operating in environments where burn injury is a threat. To gain insight on how to offer soldiers better protection, developers with Product Manager Clothing and Individual Equipment (PM CIE), part of PEO Soldier, continue to collaborate with burn experts from Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, one of the world’s premiere burn treatment facilities. The developers concluded that increased burn injury protection is essential for today’s combat soldier. Whereas, exposed skin is almost guaranteed to burn in a flash fire or explosion, simply covering the skin greatly reduces the risk of burns. Starting from the head down, current fire protection includes the Army combat helmet, protective eyewear, an anti-flash hood, and flame-resistant gloves and uniforms. Mission-specific, flame-resistant clothing, such as an improved coverall for combat vehicle crewmen and flame-resistant cold weather gear, provides greater protection to soldiers who work in environments with higher threats of burn injury. Working with the Thermal Protection and Comfort Center (TPACC) at North Carolina State University, and with researchers at Natick Soldier Center, PM CIE is evaluating various combinations of fibers that might improve flame-resistance. For a fiber to qualify as flame-resistant, it must self-extinguish, not fuel a fire, and not melt. Nomex® has long been considered the gold standard and continues to be an important component of Army flame protection, but Army engineers are not satisfied with the status quo; they continue to team with industry to develop high-performance alternatives, such as flame-resistant Rayon, Modocrylic, and innovative treatment processes, to develop something better. CIE has developed a flame-resistant Army combat uniform (ACU) that is comfortable and reinforced at the garment’s known stress points. Rather than redesigning the garment, engineers used the current ACU to develop the flame-resistant ACU, which should begin fielding late in the 4th quarter of Fiscal Year 2007. In addition to the flame-resistant ACU and the improved coveralls, PM CIE is working on flame-resistant Army combat shirts, Army aircrew combat uniforms (A2CU), fleece jackets, and Ghillie suits, as well as the fire-resistant environmental ensemble (FREE), which is a multi-layered clothing system designed for aviators and combat vehicle crews working in a range of climates. These soldiers have mission demands that require less-bulky clothing. Testing of prototypes is underway, and soldier feedback will help drive the final configuration and design of the clothing ensembles. Product developers at PEO Soldier take feedback seriously; every comment on every user survey is read and carefully evaluated. The improved combat vehicle crewman coverall (CVCC), shown at left, which will replace the current green and tan CVCC, is under evaluation by tank battalions and armored vehicle crewmen — again, feedback is critical to its final design. Soldiers’ demands for a comfortable garment to wear under interceptor body armor (IBA) led to developing the new Army combat shirt (ACS). The ACS features a moisture-wicking fabric in the torso and flame-resistant sleeves with pocket placements that mimic the ACU. This garment is designed to only be worn under body armor. Brooke Army Medical Center’s extensive research on burn injuries and collection of burn victim data indicate the IBA provides significant protection against burns to a soldier’s torso. Even as these garments are being fielded, research and development continues on clothing that provides soldiers even better protection and gives them further advantages in combat. Special thanks to PEO Soldier for making it their “job to provide soldiers with the best equipment money can buy and technology can produce.” — BG R. Mark Brown, Program Executive Officer Improved Flame-Resistant Uniforms Reduce Burn Injuries September-October 2007 — 53