Fire resistant clothes protect firefighters while they are in the line of duty. Fire resistant clothes are made from fabric that is made especially to be flame and fire resistant forever. These fire resistant clothes are created to have fire retardant properties built into the fabric at a molecular level. As a result, the fire resistant clothing will never wash away or wear out. The fire resistant clothes will always be flame retardant, no matter how long it gets used in the line of duty.
Firefighters have an array of personal protective equipment (PPE) that is designed to give protection against fires, fumes, and gases. A firefighters equipment is incredibly heavy and taxing on them. It usually weighs about 45 pounds to 77 pounds. This also includes the weight of fire proof jackets, or fire retardant jackets as they are also referred to. Firefighters are expected to put on all of their fire resistant work clothes in about one minute. Their fire resistant clothes can be uncomfortable to wear but protects them from the extreme temperatures of a fire.
The National Fire Protection Association imposed equipment standards after World War II. It is now required that firefighters have a uniform that is made up of numerous layers. One layer is flame resistant, one provides thermal insulation, and another layer is moisture resistant. Fire resistant clothes keep the fire contained into one area and then the flames go out when the original source is gone. Most of the flame resistant clothing that is used today is a blend of different fibers. These fibers that are in use today are used for industrial protective apparel. They are made, using chemistry, just to be flame retardant.