A Tale of Fire and Wear: Investigating Firefighters’ Undergarment Preferences

Abstract

Firefighters face risks ranging from minor 1st-degree burns to dangerous 4th-degree burns. Although they wear specialized protective suits during operations, flash fires can cause these garments to char and break, exposing skin to flames if flame-retardant (FR) undergarments are not worn. While FR undergarments are available in the market, their use is neither required by standards nor common practice among firefighters. To understand this behavior, several drivers (relative price/ protection/ moisture transferability/ and comfort perception) were examined using Branson and Sweeney’s clothing comfort model. A mixed-method study was conducted with 92 firefighters in the United States. The results show that firefighters’ perception of relative protection significantly influences their comfort perception, which directly affects their preference for FR undergarments. The study also identified barriers such as limited awareness and skepticism about their protective benefits, offering insights for manufacturers and policymakers to design and promote protective clothing that better meets firefighters’ needs.