India to soon get indigenous firefighting suit made from aluminised coated glass fabrics

New Delhi(The Uttam Hindu):  The National Technical Textile Mission (NTTM), an initiative by the Ministry of Textiles, is developing an innovative firefighting suit using aluminised coated glass fabrics, the ministry said on Wednesday. These indigenous firefighter suits will be used by personnel in firefighting and emergency services, defence forces, the oil and gas industry, aerospace and aviation, power plants, and the thermal industry, etc. India currently imports the most specialised firefighting suits (also known as fire entry suits) from Europe, the US, and China, as its manufacturing in the country is in its nascent stage.

“The annual current consumption would be approximately 1,000 sets by various end users in India. However, with the introduction of an Indian-certified aluminised suit, the consumption could go up exponentially,” said the ministry. The NTTM project is implemented by Northern India Textile Research Association (NITRA), in collaboration with its industrial partner, System 5S. It is developed using aluminised coated glass fabrics, OPAN (Oxidised Polyacrylonitrile) Nonwoven battings, and FR (Flame Resistant) viscose fabric. All the inner layers are quilted together.

The new suit “prioritised the safety, comfort, and ease of donning and doffing for firefighters”, the ministry said. It added that System 5S's fire-fighting suit is designed to meet European as well as Indian standards. According to European Standard, protective clothing for specialised firefighting must protect the full body, including the head, hands, and feet, against radiant heat and flame impingement. This protective gear includes a garment, a hood (integrated or separate), gloves, and over boots. In addition, the design of such suits is intended for use with respiratory protection, with designs varying on whether the breathing apparatus is worn inside or outside the protective clothing.

Meanwhile, the industrial partner has already begun manufacturing the new suits for trial purposes, the ministry said. It added that the commercial manufacturing will start once the fire manikin test is completed successfully to ensure the suit meets all necessary performance requirements. System 5S' will “have an annual production capacity of 1,000 suits with this commercialisation,” the ministry said.