https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1641-7105
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Abstract
Objectives. The effects of personal protective clothing (PPC) on firefighters’ gait were investigated to develop high-performance PPC. Methods. Thirteen participants participated in human trials with three types of PPC (firefighter protective clothing [FPC], semi-enclosed chemical protective clothing [CPC_semi] and fully enclosed chemical protective clothing [CPC_full]) and a T-shirt (control clothing [CON]). A three-dimensional (3D) motion capture system was used to obtain gait parameters (step length, step width, stride frequency, gait speed and toe-out angle) and the range of motion (ROM) of the joints (hip, knee and ankle). Results. PPC produced an increase in step width (23.4%, p > 0.05), but the gait speed (9.1%) and stride frequency (6.4%) decreased compared with the CON results. ROM is affected by the PPC type and joint. FPC and CPC_semi had no significant effect in terms of ROM of the hip and knee besides the landing angle of the knee. However, CPC_full had a significant effect on the maximum extension angle of the hip and maximum flexion angle of the knee, which reached up to 27.2%. Conclusion. The ROM of the firefighter’s lower limbs was limited by PPC. This study offers insights into next-generation PPC design and development, as well as guidelines for training and firefighting.
Acknowledgements
This study was supported by funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the foundation for Young Scholars of Xi’an University of Science and Technology. The authors are deeply grateful for these supports.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.