Fire Resistant Clothing

Flame Resistant clothing is designed and manufactured to resist or not catch fire when exposed to certain high temperature environments. When there are cases when the fabric does ignite, the material of the fire resistant clothing is made so it does not continue to burn for long extended periods of time. This gives the wearer valuable time to escape dangerous life threatening situations to minimize any potential injuries. Fire resistant clothing is also designed to ensure the material does not crack or break when exposed to high temperature heat.

One important factor to keep in mind is that fire resistant clothing is NOT fireproof. Any type of fire or flame resistant/retardant clothing will burn if exposed to temperature degrees for an extended period of time.

Fire resistant clothing is manufactured from material to resist high heat temperatures for a short period of time. Fire resistant apparel made with materials such as Nomex, Kevlar, and Modacrylic have amazing fire resistant properties and widely used in manufacturing of fire resistant garments. Other well-known fabrics such as cotton have a natural resistant quality to fire/flames and can also be treated with special chemicals to help increase their fire resistance protection.

Natural fire resistant material and materials that are enhanced to increase protective qualities such as cotton protect the wearer in similar manners. These protective materials will not ignite easily, burn or melt during a flash fire or combustion.

Different flame resistant materials and fabrics offer different protection for different settings. Always check which products are best suitable for your situation.

Fire resistant clothing is determined on an ARC rating or Arc Thermal Protective Value (APTIV) scale. This rating determines how much heat will pass through the garment or material in the event of a flash fire situation which thereby determines how much protection the fire resistant clothing will offer the individual wearing the garments.

When shopping for fire resistant clothing, it is important to know how much fire protection you will need based on how much fire protection each garment offers. The prevention of heat transfer to the body can significantly reduce the amount of exposure from a fire which can help minimize any burn injuries from the incident. These arc rating values are expressed as calories per square centimeter. The higher the arc rating protection level, the higher the protection the wearer will have.

Arc ratings of level 4 are suitable for a task of Hazard/Risk Category 1 (HRC1) which is the lowest risk factor when determining arc rating levels. On the opposite side of the spectrum, an arc rating of 40 or more will protect the wearer against tasks categorized as a Hazard/Risk Category 4 (HRC4) which is the most severe risk. Bomb Bros fire resistant clothing arc level ratings are indicated on our labels. You can find these arc ratings on our fire resistant garments usually inside our clothing towards the bottom of the clothing. Bomb Bros fire resistant clothing are lab tested against the most extreme conditions, so shop with confidence that you will be protected against your environment.