Pullover Workshirt or Fleece?

[usafmedic45]

OK....this isn't specifically EMS related, but has anyone come across a pullover fleece shirt or firefighter workshirt style garment that isn't polyester blend? I need to get something for winter time investigations under the auspices of my company but everything I have found is cotton/poly blend which isn't exactly the best thing to be wearing around crashed aircraft (or on board commercial flights) due to the way that material behaves when exposed to high heat. Any suggestions would be welcomed.

 

[bw2529]

This looks like what we have:
http://www.ems1.com/ems-products/outerwear/13817-EMS-Jacket-by-Globe-LifeLine/

Not sure if that would work for you, but they are very nice coats with zip-out fleece.

 

[crazycajun]

we use the Hanes Ultimate 100% Cotton Fleece pullover. Our screen printer gets them for us so I am sure you can ask whoever does your company screen printing and embroidery. It is really warm and comfortable.

 

[Steam Engine]

I don't have any experience with this product, but it seems to be what you're looking for.

http://www.chuckroast.com/fire-safety/nomexfleece.php

 

[DrParasite]

but everything I have found is cotton/poly blend which isn't exactly the best thing to be wearing around crashed aircraft (or on board commercial flights) due to the way that material behaves when exposed to high heat.

ummmm, the cotton/poly blend is the standard firefighting jobshirt, worn under turnout gear in fires.

what is so bad that happens when exposed to high heat? and more importantly, should you be wearing said outer garment when you are being exposed ot high heat? I would imagine it might be detrimental to your health.

and I would imagine the fleece ignites more easily than a cotton poly blend that the jobshirts are.

 

[usafmedic45]

ummmm, the cotton/poly blend is the standard firefighting jobshirt, worn under turnout gear in fires.

You normally wear a Nomex jacket on a commercial flight? It won't melt under a turnout coat, but it's not my first choice for wearing as an outer layer.

and I would imagine the fleece ignites more easily than a cotton poly blend that the jobshirts are.

Actual fleece (that is wool) is very difficult to ignite in a flash fire.

what is so bad that happens when exposed to high heat?

It melts and burns quite quickly. There's a reason why they recommend all natural fibers as clothing choices for commercial passengers.

and more importantly, should you be wearing said outer garment when you are being exposed ot high heat?

Well, I don't plan on it as a regular occurrence but on the scene of an aircraft crash even after , you never know when there will be a reignition. Better safe than sorry.

I would imagine it might be detrimental to your health.

So is enduring having melted polyester or nylon debrided from your arms chest and legs after a flash fire.

 

[RocketMedic]

If youre trying to find clothing to survive airliner crashes, I suggest you stop wasting your time and pick better flights. If youre talking about investigating crashes, you probably want bunker gear or better time and risk management. If you want a firesafe garmet, Nomex jumpsuit or flightsuit.

 

[usafmedic45]

If youre trying to find clothing to survive airliner crashes, I suggest you stop wasting your time and pick better flights

Eh....I just wear jeans and a cotton dress button up shirt. I was just pointing out that even with the best selection of flights, :censored::censored::censored::censored: happens from time to time. Ever wonder why flight attendants often don't wear hosiery anymore? It has less to do with feminism and more to do with preferring not to get skin grafts in the event of a survivable crash associated with burns.

If youre talking about investigating crashes, you probably want bunker gear or better time and risk management.

That's exactly what I'm talking about. It's such a low risk, that I can't justify lugging around (or paying for the baggage fees for) 50 lbs of gear. I'm just looking for a warm middle layer and had some problems finding something not made from materials that tend to melt. The suggestion to avoid polyester, etc was put to me by one of my colleagues who worked for the NTSB.

If you want a firesafe garmet, Nomex jumpsuit or flightsuit.

I'd prefer not to look like a total tool on scene when even the NTSB doesn't go that far. If you don't have something useful to add or don't know what you're talking about, then kindly refrain from posting.

 

[abckidsmom]

Phone.is.broken...but.yesterday.I.attended.a.talk.put.on.by.our.electric.utility.and.the.guy.said.thatthey.wear.fire.retardant.clothing,and.they.were.wearing.a.nice.looking.jobshirt,crew.neck,not.like.a.sweatshirt...google."lineman.uniforms"or.the.like...and.be.really.glad.I.am.waiting.for.my.new.phone.from.fedfedex...the.space.bar.locks.up.the.whole.phone.and.I.have.to.pull.the.battery.every.time.I.touch.it.

 

[mycrofft]

Googled "Nomex Fleece"

http://www.chuckroast.com/fire-safety/nomexfleece.php And it's GSA available.

 

[bigbaldguy]

Ever wonder why flight attendants often don't wear hosiery anymore? It has less to do with feminism and more to do with preferring not to get skin grafts in the event of a survivable crash associated with burns.

Personally I don't wear hose anymore because I got tired of getting runs.

I think you're giving flight attendants way too much credit. I've never heard that and honestly it has never occurred to me that my plastic uniform pieces might be bad in a fire. Most airlines have polyester or blend uniforms. I do know pilots on the other hand who wear wool pants and 100% cotton shirts for this reason. All of the pilots I've known who do this however buy them at their own expense. All company issued uniform items (including pilots uniforms) at my airline are a 60/40 blend. I'm 99 percent certain that this is true of most major airlines.

Just looked up air force one flight attendant uniforms and they are also a poly/wool blend. I thought commercial airlines were the only ones with a polyester fetish.

 

[usafmedic45]

Personally I don't wear hose anymore because I got tired of getting runs.

I think you're giving flight attendants way too much credit. I've never heard that and honestly it has never occurred to me that my plastic uniform pieces might be bad in a fire. Most airlines have polyester or blend uniforms. I do know pilots on the other hand who wear wool pants and 100% cotton shirts for this reason. All of the pilots I've known who do this however buy them at their own expense. All company issued uniform items (including pilots uniforms) at my airline are a 60/40 blend. I'm 99 percent certain that this is true of most major airlines.

Just looked up air force one flight attendant uniforms and they are also a poly/wool blend. I thought commercial airlines were the only ones with a polyester fetish.

Hmm....I was told they had gotten away from that. Good to know. I stand corrected. Thank you BBG.

 

[DrParasite]

You normally wear a Nomex jacket on a commercial flight? It won't melt under a turnout coat, but it's not my first choice for wearing as an outer layer.

well, I would, but that's because I think I look soooooo sexy in a Nomex jacket.

Actual fleece (that is wool) is very difficult to ignite in a flash fire.

ok, there is a BIG difference between wool, and polar fleece (which is what most people are referring to when they speak of fleece). I was assuming you wanted a polar fleece jacket, if you wanted a wool, coat, that's a different coat.

It melts and burns quite quickly. There's a reason why they recommend all natural fibers as clothing choices for commercial passengers.

Well, I don't plan on it as a regular occurrence but on the scene of an aircraft crash even after , you never know when there will be a reignition. Better safe than sorry.

ehhhhhh, by that logic, you should never wear artificial fibers when in a car, because it might catch fire.

So is enduring having melted polyester or nylon debrided from your arms chest and legs after a flash fire.

you should also wear a helmet, because having a head injury following a crash will ruin your day.

I'd prefer not to look like a total tool on scene when even the NTSB doesn't go that far. If you don't have something useful to add or don't know what you're talking about, then kindly refrain from posting.

you were the one who doesn't want to wear poly/cotton. it was a very valid statement from my point of view, since I wasn't sure what you wanted either.

BTW, the odds of you getting burned (and still alive) from an airplane fire is statistically slim. You are being overly paranoid. Remember, you are more likely to be hurt or die in an MVA than a plane incident, doesn't mean you should always wear you helmet or cotton only stuff.

 

[usafmedic45]

ok, there is a BIG difference between wool, and polar fleece (which is what most people are referring to when they speak of fleece). I was assuming you wanted a polar fleece jacket, if you wanted a wool, coat, that's a different coat.

Yeah, I know the difference.

BTW, the odds of you getting burned (and still alive) from an airplane fire is statistically slim. You are being overly paranoid. Remember, you are more likely to be hurt or die in an MVA than a plane incident, doesn't mean you should always wear you helmet or cotton only stuff.

You do know what I now do as a job right? You're lecturing an aviation safety researcher on the risks of things I happen to probably know more about. The risk of being burned is actually pretty high especially if you fly in private aircraft. Most delayed deaths in otherwise survivable aircraft crashes (read as: the ones that don't impact the ground straight down or break apart in mid air or fail catastrophically upon impact) are due to either burns or the inhalation of toxic gases. Care to wager what the leading (or in some cases, second most frequent) cause of morbidity is among people who survive crashes is? It's not your well versed grasp on aviation related injury biomechanics.

you should also wear a helmet, because having a head injury following a crash will ruin your day.

...or it simply shifts the injury to the upper cervical spine or skull base instead of the anterior or lateral aspects of the skull. Having a restrained torso and a helmet adding extra weight to the head is a potentially bad idea when you start getting into the higher impact forces involved in most aircraft crashes. I say potentially because we don't have the data to say whether it's a definite issue or not. It's a theory but it's along the same line as why the HANS device has become more or less standard in racing. Introducing your chin to your collarbone (ala Dale Earnhardt) will, as you say, "ruin your day".

Yes, the risk for a crash is small, but it's there. The risk for fire in an aircraft crash is more pronounced than in a car accident for a few reasons which I'm not getting into because most people on here probably don't give a :censored::censored::censored::censored: about it. It's not a huge deal and not something I am losing sleep over. I asked a simple question and got the responses I needed. Have a wonderful night.

 

[mycrofft]

Sorry, I'm fashion-blind.

Looking more closely at the URL's I sent you might need to adopt a "rugged" look to carry it off. Since boots are the best for traipsing about most scenes, maybe that wold work anyway.

A crash survivor, who became a traveling crash survival speaker for the USAF, once told us that dense cotton such as a field jacket, plus layering of same, with lots of coverage, were pretty good since the cotton tends to smolder/ember and not flame/smoke/drip/weld. (The field jackets back then had brass zippers too, not plastic).The biggest problem was people not wearing them at all; having seen passengers boarding wearing pajama bottoms and scuff slippers (easy for TSA I guess) I believe that.

What about the "firehouse"-type fabric Duluth Trading Company touts so often?
http://www.duluthtrading.com/search...hose&p_origin=MN_Home_Dec11&processor=content

 

[mycrofft]

Missed edit deadline

NOMEX makes their "Station Wear" line of casual clothing:
http://www.advantagegear.com/index.php?sub_cat_id=2&cat_id=2&get=items&sub_sub_cat_id=95&page_title=Nomex+Station+Wear