By Joseph Murray
Firefighting gloves are essential for protecting our firefighters from injury and illness yet, as personal protection equipment (PPE) goes, firefighting gloves often seem to be an afterthought.
Many fire chiefs who have been around for a while remember the days when firefighting gloves were simply a necessary evil—something that would keep your hands from burning in a structure fire but significantly reduced the functionality of your hands. Firefighting gloves have come a long way over the years, and although construction requirements and thermal protection still require some level of bulkiness, gloves have become much more functional. If firefighting gloves haven’t been given the same attention as other pieces of turnout gear, it may be a good time to reevaluate your department’s glove inventory.
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BASIC COMPONENTS, DESIGN, AND MATERIALS
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1971, Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Firefighting and Proximity Firefighting, sets the minimum protection standards for firefighting gloves. While all NFPA 1971-compliant gloves must have the required components, often the materials and engineering of the gloves can provide varying degrees of functionality.
The main part of a firefighting glove is the glove body, and it encases the fingers, palm, and wrist. At minimum, it should extend 2 inches passed the wrist crease; however, many gloves on the market reach much farther up the wrist. The material past the 2-inch wrist crease and beyond is called the interface component or, more commonly, the “wrist cuff.”
Structural firefighting gloves consist of an outer shell, a moisture barrier, and a thermal barrier. The materials used in these layers can vary by manufacturer. Often the outer shell is made of some type of leather because of its puncture resistance, grip friction, and flame resistance. The type of leather can vary, and today we see various hides in use including pig, cow, elk, goat, and even kangaroo. Some manufacturers go further by adding silicone into the outer shell’s leather to improve water resistance. Other manufacturers go an entirely other route by using materials such as Kevlar or Nomex® in their outer shell because of their high strength-to-weight properties.
The glove’s moisture barrier prevents penetration of water, liquid borne or blood borne pathogens, and some chemicals. These layers are often constructed of materials such as Teflon (PTFE) to repel water and resist heat. In some gloves, the moisture barriers and thermal barriers are combined into one material, while in others the thermal barrier is essentially a separate inner lining that insulates the hand from heat and provides some level of comfort. The thermal barrier can be constructed from materials such as modacrylic, Kevlar, and Nomex because of their heat resistance. All threads used to construct gloves should be made of flame-resistant fibers, and all metal hardware must be corrosion-resistant. In recent years, thermal protection requirements have increased, particularly on the back of the glove to protect from radiant heat.
BENEFITS OF A COMMITTEE
Depending on your organization, committees may or may not be advantageous as part of the decision-making process. Where possible, using a committee does have some advantages in the case of firefighting glove selection. With the large number of brands and styles of firefighting gloves, it is much easier to divide and conquer testing the gloves when more firefighters are involved. When used, it is important that the committee includes the end users who can test firefighter gloves or can collect feedback from other members on the pros and cons of each model. It is especially important that all gloves being considered be thoroughly tested not only during training but also during actual firefighting operations.
CONSIDERATIONS
There are many considerations when deciding which firefighter glove a department will offer its firefighters. All gloves on the market have various levels of protection, comfort and fit, dexterity, ease of donning and doffing, and cost. It is important to identify what traits are most important to your firefighters. More often than not, except for minimum requirements to be NFPA-compliant, tradeoffs need to be made in one area for another. Because of these tradeoffs, it is essential that all gloves are thoroughly tested and vetted in real-life scenarios so that your team can determine the best fit for your department.
Protection: First and foremost when it comes to all firefighting PPE, including gloves, is its ability to protect our firefighters. Compliance with NFPA 1971 must be a requirement as it ensures that the model of gloves was properly tested under expected firefighting conditions. The type of materials used within the glove can also enhance protection. Materials such as Kevlar and Teflon can improve resistance to penetration from cuts and flame.
Dexterity: Dexterity, or the ability to perform actions quickly and skillfully with the hands, is an important ability for firefighters. Unfortunately, the required components to protect the hands from heat and flame typically result in firefighting gloves not having the best dexterity. Glove engineering can assist to some degree, and fire chiefs should pay considerable attention to the gloves’ design elements. Poorly placed seams or using bulky materials that easily bunch up can reduce dexterity. While design features such as seamless fingertips or added texture can improve dexterity, enhanced protection in glove construction can often reduce dexterity. To ensure protection, it is essential that firefighters perform essential fireground tasks without removing their gloves. It is important for your team to test glove dexterity for tasks such as operating the radio, operating a chainsaw, connecting to a standpipe, attaching buddy breathers, and retrieving items from turnout gear pockets.
Comfort and fit: It is essential that firefighting gloves be properly fitted to a firefighter’s hand not only to ensure proper protection but to also maximize functionality. The NFPA requires that structural firefighting gloves be sized based on anthropometric data to ensure a proper fit for all firefighters. Brannok-style measurements, which use numerical sizing and include narrow to wide sizes, assist in making size determinations. Tighter fits can often improve dexterity, but increased compression of the structural layers can reduce thermal protection. Most fire equipment vendors can assist in properly measuring your firefighters’ hands for glove use.
Donning and doffing: As anyone who has worked a structure fire knows, getting gloves on and off can be a chore, especially after sweating and exposure to water. Gloves with textured linings can improve dexterity but may be more difficult to don. Wider palm openings may make it easier to don and doff gloves but can also greatly reduce dexterity, grip, and exposure protection. It is important that gloves are not so tight as to compromise thermal protection but are loose enough to allow for hands to get back in and out without destroying the liner.
Budget and costs: A quick Internet search will show you the wide variety of costs for firefighting gloves with a range per set of $65 to $200 and more. Gloves that use more exotic materials or have complex construction may have significantly increased price. Considering the durability of the gloves is important in planning for costs, as the gloves’ durability will have a significant impact on the expected replacement schedule.
HAND PROTECTION FOR NONSUPPRESSION ACTIVITIES
When considering hand protection and prevention exposure, fire chiefs must also consider how firefighters are actually using their gloves. While the NFPA clearly indicates that structural firefighting gloves must be used during fire suppression activities, using gloves post extinguishment is more ambiguous. A recently conducted study by Asheton Gilberston (2023) found that 72% of firefighters do not use structural firefighting gloves during scene demobilization. Other gloves used during these procedures include leather work gloves, mechanic gloves, medical gloves, and extrication gloves. Five percent of firefighters report not wearing gloves at all. The most significant reasons for choosing other types of gloves over structural firefighting gloves were for function, protection, comfort, and range of motion.
It is important for fire chiefs to understand the current practices of their firefighters in the post extinguishment setting and evaluate if there is a need to provide additional types of gloves to ensure their firefighters are protected from injury and exposure during demobilization. Although structural firefighting gloves may be acceptable, if firefighters aren’t using them during demobilization, it may be beneficial to seek out a compromise that still provides protection but is better suited to the tasks at hand. The same theory applies to other nonfire suppression incidents that firefighters respond to such as vehicle extrications and rope rescues.
Firefighting gloves have long been an afterthought, compared with turnout gear, helmets, and even boots. Recent developments in technology and engineering have considerably increased the number of firefighting glove models that fire chiefs can provide for their firefighters. While all NFPA 1971-compliant gloves meet the minimum construction requirements, there are many variables related to design, materials, and engineering that impact their protection levels and functionality. It is recommended that a committee be formed, when possible, to test various styles of gloves that exist within the price point. Chiefs should also examine how their firefighters are using their structural firefighting gloves and, if necessary, consider providing additional gloves for nonsuppression operations that may allow for additional functionality for specific tasks and reduce wear and tear on structural fire gloves, increasing their lifespan.
REFERENCE
1. Gilbertson, A. (2023) Understanding post-fire glove use in Washington firefighters with the Health Belief Model: results of a cross sectional survey. (Master’s Thesis, University of Washington). University of Washington Research Depository: https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/handle/1773/50390.
JOSEPH MURRAY, Ph.D., is chief and emergency management coordinator for the Dearborn (MI) Fire Department.
