Hi Everybody

I am not sure if I am posting in the correct area so can you pleas re-direct me if need be?

I have two different suppliers here in Canada with somewhat conflicting opinions on how their garments are complaint for the CGSB155-22 Fireline Workwear for Wildland Firefighters.

The first one which makes the coveralls etc. with the Nomex fabric has indicated that only the Nomex meets this standard and they have the standard compliance code on their garment tags. Now they have not had their garments tested but have indicated that they are compliant just by using the Nomex fabric and do not need to have them tested by a third party testing facility.

The other supplier uses the Firewear 88/12 fabric by Milliken and again they have not had their garments tested by a third party testing facility. They have indicated that the fabric meets the CGSB155-20 for flash fire because they meet the CGSB155-22 which encompasses the test methods that would satisfy the CGSB155-20 standard.

Can you please shed some light on this for me so I can determine if these two separate suppliers are in compliance?
Also do they have to have the CGSB155-22 standard on their garment labels in order to be provide the standards coverage?


Terry

You asked on an ELECTRICAL forum, so be aware of the obvious issue that it doesn't cover flash fires which fall under other standards.

As far as the ELECTRICAL standards go and I believe this is also true of the other apparel standards, the work product (PPE) is normally not tested. The fabric that it is constructed from is what is tested. So they are correct that the key is the rating of the fabric, not the article.

As to Nomex vs. Milliken's material which I'm assuming is treated cotton using an ammonia process because that's what it would be for the electrical standards, there are really three key properties to be aware of. The first one is that the material cannot sustain a flame. It might burn but if the heat source is removed, it extinguishes. This is the same property that is present in many CSA and other NRTL fire standards. The second property is how well it insulates, which is test dependent. The insulative properties have to do with how much trapped air the material holds...the same properties that we look for in cold weather gear and has nothing to do with anything magical about fire retardant fabrics. The third property and in some ways this one is optional is whether the material is inherently fire retardant as in aramid fabrics such as Kevlar, Nomex, or similar, or whether the material is treated by some chemical process that renders it fire retardant such as the Westex ammonia process used by Milliken on cotton, or whether it is more of a coating that can be washed away from repeated washings such as many welder's greens.

The Dupont Nomex stuff is inherently fire retardant...it's a synthetic fiber that does not sustain a flame in the family of fibers known as aramids. The Milliken fabric is cotton treated in an ammonia process that gives it ehs same permanent fire retardant properties. The big advantage to most end users is that treated cotton can be more comfortable in some cases, and that treated cotton is considerably less expensive.

Thank you Paul for the clarification.

Much appreciated.



Terry

The CGSB 155.22 standard has requirements for things other than simply the fabric. It is possible to meet all the requirements of the standard without third party certification, as this is not a requirement. However simply using Nomex fabric does not in and of itself mean the garment is compliant.

Either supplier should be able to provide you with all the data to support their claim that the garments meets all the requirements of the standard.

By the way, Firewear and 88/12 are two different fabrics. Firewear is a trade name for a 55%/45% modacrylic/cotton blend, while 88/12 is a generic name for an FR treated 88% cotton, 12% Nylon blend.

You would need to check with the specific fabric manufacturer to find out if it meets the 155.22 requirements.