Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE: MULTI-PURPOSE PROTECTIVE GARMENT
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[001] The present invention relates to the field of protective garments. More
specifically, the present invention relates to mufti-purpose modular
protective
garments that include a jacket and a pair of pants that each have an inner
module and
an outer module.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[002] The role of emergency responders, and particularly fire fighters, has
increased
over the past few years. In addition to the traditional job of fighting fires,
many fire
fighters have now become the first responders to many emergency situations.
For
example, some fire fighters are now expected to respond to emergency
situations
ranging from mufti-vehicle car accidents, to bio-hazard threats. Due to this
increase in
responsibilities, many fire fighters are being cross-trained to respond to
emergency
medical situations and search & rescue activities, in addition to the
traditional fire
fighting activities.
[003] Obviously, fire fighters and other emergency first responders are
required to
wear protective garments in order to protect them from the different
environmental
conditions to which they are exposed. The National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA) is a recognized organization for establishing safety standards. The
NFPA has
established different standards for different activities. For example,
protective
garments that are suitable for emergency medical situations, search and rescue
activities and structural fire fighting will each be required to meet
different NFPA
standards. In other words, depending on the main activity for which the
protective
garment is designed, the protective garment will be required to meet a
different NFPA
standard.
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[004] Unfortunately, many fire fighters who perform both structural fire
fighting,
and emergency medical response and/or search and rescue activities, are
provided
with only one protective garment. As such, this protective garment is
generally in
compliance with the standards for structural fire fighting.
[005] For many tasks, such as search and rescue activities and emergency
medical
response activities, a protective garment that meets the standards for
structural fire-
fighting provides far more thermal protection than the wearer needs. This
makes the
protective garment quite heavy, and quite hot for a fire fighter to wear when
responding to an emergency medical response situation or a search and rescue
situation. As such, the fire fighter will be uncomfortable, and unable to work
at
maximum efficiency.
[006] In light of this situation, it is commonly observed that fire fighters
who
respond to emergency medical situations wearing protective garments that are
too
cumbersome for the task at hand, often undo the front closure of their
protective
garment, or remove their protective garment altogether. Given that the scenes
of many
emergency medical and/or rescue situations can be quite dangerous with sharp
objects, blood and glass strewn about the scene, a fire fighter that undoes
the closure
of his/her jacket, or removes the jacket altogether, puts him/herself at risk
of getting
hurt or contaminated. Obviously, this defeats the entire purpose of the
protective
garment altogether.
[007] In light of the above, it can be seen that there is a need in the
industry for a
protective garment that alleviates, at least in part, the deficiencies of the
prior art, and
provides a wearer with sufficient protection for many different types of
situations.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[008] In accordance with a first broad aspect, the present invention provides
a
protective garment that comprises a jacket and a pair of pants. The jacket has
a jacket
inner module and a jacket outer module and the pair of pants has a pant inner
module
and a pant outer module. The jacket inner module and the pant inner module
each
comprise an inner layer of moisture barrier material and an outer layer of
abrasion
resistant material. In addition, the jacket outer module and the pant outer
module each
comprise an inside layer of thermal insulation material and an outside layer
of
abrasion resistant material. The jacket inner module and the pant inner module
form a
protective garment of a first type, and the combination of the jacket inner
module and
the pant inner module with the jacket outer module and the pant outer module
form a
protective garment of a second type.
[009]In accordance with a second broad aspect, the present invention provides
a
protective pair of pants that comprises an inner module and an outer module.
The
inner module comprises an inner layer of moisture barrier material and an
outer layer
of abrasion resistant material. The outer module comprises an inside layer of
thermal
insulation material and an outside layer of abrasion resistant material.
[010] In accordance with another broad aspect, the present invention provides
a multi-
purpose protective garment that comprises an inner module and an outer module.
The
inner module is suitable for being worn separately and in combination with the
outer
module. The inner module forms a first protective garment that is compliant
with the
NFPA 1999 Standard on Protective Clothing for Emergency Medical Operations and
the NFPA 1951 Standard on Protective Ensemble for USAR (Urban Search and
Rescue) Operations. The inner module in combination with the outer module
forms a
second protective garment that is compliant with the NFPA 1971 Standard on
Protective Ensemble for Structural Fire Fighting.
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[011] These and other aspects and features of the present invention will now
become
apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following
description
of specific embodiments of the invention and the accompanying drawings.
S BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[012] In the accompanying drawings:
[013] Figure 1 shows an exploded view of a protective garment in accordance
with a
non-limiting example of implementation of the present invention
[014] Figure 2A shows a front plan view of the jacket inner module of the
protective
garment shown in Figure 1 with the front opening closed;
[015] Figure 2B shows a front plan view of the jacket inner module of the
protective
garment shown in Figure 1 with the front opening open;
[016] Figure 3A shows a front plan view of the pants inner module of the
protective
garment shown in Figure 1;
[017] Figure 3B shows a rear plan view of the pants inner module of the
protective
garment shown in Figure 1;
[018] Figure 4 shows an expanded view of the pelvic region of the pants inner
module of the protective garment shown in Figure 1;
[019] Figure 5 shows a view of the layers of the inner module of the
protective
garment in accordance with a non-limiting example of implementation of the
present
invention;
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[020] Figure 6A shows a front plan view of the jacket outer module of the
protective
garment shown in Figure 1 with the front opening closed;
[021] Figure 6B shows a front plan view of the jacket outer module of the
protective
garment shown in Figure 1 with the front opening open;
[022J Figure 7A shows a front plan view of the pants outer module of the
protective
garment shown in Figure 1;
[023] Figure 7B shows a rear plan view of the pants outer module of the
protective
garment shown in Figure 1;
[024J Figure 8 shows an expanded view of the pelvic regions of the pants outer
module of the protective garment shown in Figure 1;
[025] Figure 9 shows a view of the layers of the outer module of the
protective
garment in accordance with a non-limiting example of implementation of the
present
invention.
[026] Figure 10 shows an expanded view of the front opening of the jacket of
the
protective garment shown in Figure 1;
[027] Figure 11 shows a front plan view of the protective garment of Figure 1
shown
in an assembled state;
[028J Figure 12 shows an exploded view of a protective garment in accordance
with
an alternative non-limiting example of implementation of the present invention
[029] Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent
to
those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description
of specific
embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[030] Shown in Figure 1 is an exploded view of a mufti-purpose modular
protective
garment 10 in accordance with a non-limiting example of implementation of the
present invention. The protective garment 10 is suitable for being worn by
emergency
responders, and particularly fire fighters.
[031] The protective garment 10 includes a jacket 12 and a pair of pants 14.
The
jacket 12 includes a jacket inner module 16 and a jacket outer module 18, and
the pair
of pants 14 includes a pants inner module 20 and a pants outer module 22. As
will be
described in more detail below, the jacket inner module 16 and the pants inner
module
are adapted for being worn separately, as well as in combination with the
jacket
outer module 18 and the pants outer module 22.
15 [032] The Inner Module
[033] Shown in Figures 2A and 2B is the jacket inner module 16. The jacket
inner
module 16 includes a torso covering portion 24, two sleeves 26, a head opening
28, a
lower trunk opening 30 and a frontal opening 32 that extends from the head
opening
20 28 to the lower trunk opening 30. The frontal opening 32 enables a wearer
to don and
un-don the jacket inner module 16.
[034] In Figure 2A the jacket inner module 16 is shown with the frontal
opening 32
in the closed position, and in Figure 2B the jacket inner module 16 is shown
with the
frontal opening 32 in the open position. The frontal opening 32 divides the
front of
the jacket inner module 16 into a first side 40A and a second side 40B. In the
non-
limiting embodiment shown in Figure 2B, the frontal opening 32 is closable via
multiple different fastening arrangements. More specifically, the different
fastening
arrangements include snaps 34, a hook and loop arrangement 36, and a zipper
38. The
snaps 34 include a first portion 34A on the outer surface of the first side
40A and a
second portion 34B located on the inner surface of the second side 40B.
Likewise, the
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hook and loop arrangement 36 includes a first portion 36A on the outer surface
of the
first side 40A and a second portion 36B on the inner surface of the second
side 40B.
The zipper 38 also includes a first portion 38A on the outer surface of the
first side
40A and a second portion 38B on the inner surface of the second side 40B. As
such,
when the first portions 34A, 36A and 38A and the second portions 34B, 36B and
38B
of the respective fastening arrangements are joined together, they are
operative to
keep the frontal opening 32 of the inner module 16 closed. It should be
understood
that in an alternative embodiment, more or less fastening arrangements can be
included on the inner module 16 without departing from the spirit of the
invention.
[035] As shown in Figure 2B, when the frontal opening 32 is closed, a portion
of the
second side 40B of the jacket inner module 16 overlaps a portion of the first
side 40A.
As such, in a non-limiting embodiment, the inner module 16 further includes
magnets
42 on each of the first side 40A and the second side 40B that are able to join
together
1 S when the first side 40A and the second side 40B of the jacket overlap. The
magnets
keep the overlapping portion of the second side 40B of the jacket inner module
16 in
place, which helps to protect the zipper 38. In this manner, debris and/or
foreign
fluids that splash onto the wearer are prevented from entering the frontal
opening 32
of the inner module 16.
[036] In a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, the magnets 42
can be
positioned directly on the material of the outer surface of the first side 40A
and the
inner surface of the second side 40B, or alternatively the magnets 42 can be
positioned between different layers of material that make up the inner module
16. In
this embodiment, the magnets 42 would not be visible from the outside. The
different
layers of the inner module 16 will be described in more detail below.
[037] In the non-limiting embodiment shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the jacket
inner
module 16 further includes a breast pocket 33, for receiving a walkie-talkie
or some
other communication device, as well as two lower pockets 35. It should be
appreciated that each of these components is optional.
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[038] Shown in Figures 3A and 3B is the pants inner module 20. Figure 3A shows
a
front view of the pants inner module 20 and Figure 3B shows a rear view of the
pants
inner module 20. The pants inner module 20 includes two legs 46 and a pelvic
covering portion 48 that includes a front opening 50. The front opening 50 is
operative for enabling the wearer to don and un-don the pants inner module 20.
In the
non-limiting embodiment shown, the pants inner module 20 further includes a
pair of
suspenders 52, knee reinforcements 54, florescent bands 56 around the lower
leg
portions. It should be appreciated that each of these components is optional.
[039] In addition, the legs 46 include zippers 55 at the lower leg portions.
In the
non-limiting embodiment shown, the zippers SS extend from the bottom of the
legs 57
to just above the knee reinforcements 54. The zippers 55 enable the wearer to
more
easily put on his/her protective boots so as to be able to quickly don and
doff the pant
outer module.
[040] Shown in Figure 4 is an expanded view of the pelvic covering portion 48
of
the pants inner module 20. As shown, the front opening 50 includes a zipper SS
and a
popper 58 for closing the front opening 50. Pants constructions having this
type of
opening are known in the art, and as such will not be described in more detail
herein.
Other manners of closing the front opening 50 are also included within the
scope of
the present invention.
[041] In accordance with the present invention, each of the jacket inner
module 16
and the pants inner module 20 comprises at least two layers of material. More
specifically, as shown in Figure 5, each of the jacket inner module 16 and the
pants
inner module 20 comprises an inner layer 60 of moisture barrier material and
an outer
layer 62 of abrasion resistant material.
[042] The inner layer 60 is operative for providing liquid tight integrity,
both from
the elements and from chemical and viral hazards. The inner layer 60 is
operative for
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being impermeable to water, NFPA defined common chemicals and to blood and
body fluid borne pathogens. In addition, while preventing foreign liquid from
entering
the inner modules 16 and 20, the inner layer 60 allows water vapour built up
by the
perspiration of the wearer to escape. In this manner the wearer is prevented
from
S overheating. In a non-limiting example of implementation, the inner layer 60
includes
a fabric inner liner, such as a lightweight facecloth/terrycloth quilted to a
batting or
felt, that is laminated to an ePTFE moisture membrane. A non-limiting example
of an
ePTFE moisture membrane is CROSSTECH~, developed by W.L. Gore.
[043] As mentioned above, the outer layer 62 of the inner modules 16 and 20 is
an
abrasion resistant material that is operative for providing cut, tear and
puncture
resistance. In a further embodiment, the outer layer 62 is also water and
flame
resistant. An example of a material suitable for the outer layer 62 is a
lightweight
woven aramid fabric, such as Nomex~, a Nomex~/Kevlar~ blend, a PBI~/KevlarC~
1 S blend or Millenia~. Other materials known in the art that provide abrasion
resistance
are also included within the scope of the present invention.
[044] In the non-limiting example of implementation shown in Figure 5, a
pocket of
air 64 is trapped between the inner layer 60 and the outer layer 62 of
materials. This
pocket of air 64 provides some thermal insulation to the inner modules 16 and
20.
[045] As mentioned above, the jacket inner module 16 and the pants inner
module
20 are operative to be worn separately from the outer modules 18 and 22. When
the
jacket inner module 16 and the pants inner module 20 are worn without the
outer
modules 18 and 22, the inner layer 60 of moisture barrier material, and the
outer layer
62 of abrasion resistant material provide a protective garment that is
suitable for
emergency medical response situations, such as car accidents, as well as
emergency
search and rescue activities. More specifically, the jacket inner module 16
and the
pants inner module 20 as described above, provide a protective garment that is
in
compliance with the NFPA 1999 Standard on Protective Clothing for Emergency
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Medical Operations , and the Standard on Protective Ensemble for USAR (Urban
Search and Rescue) Operations.
[046] The Outer Module
[047] The jacket outer module 18 and the pants outer module 22 will now be
described in more detail with respect to Figures 6A, 6B, 7A and 7B
respectively.
[048] Shown in Figures 6A and 6B is the jacket outer module 18. Similarly to
the
jacket inner module 16, the jacket outer module 18 includes a torso covering
portion
66, two sleeves 68, a head opening 70, a lower trunk opening 72 and a frontal
opening
74 that extends from the head opening 70 to the lower trunk opening 72. The
frontal
opening 74 enables a wearer to don and un-don the jacket outer module 18.
[049J In Figure 6A the jacket outer module 18 is shown with the frontal
opening 74
in the closed position, and in Figure 6B the jacket outer module 18 is shown
with the
frontal opening 74 in the open position. The frontal opening 74 divides the
front of
the jacket outer module 18 into a first side 80A and a second side 80B.
[050] In the non-limiting embodiment shown in Figure 6B, the frontal opening
74 is
closable via two different fastening arrangements. More specifically, the
fastening
arrangements include a hook and loop arrangement 76, and a first zipper 78.
The hook
and loop arrangement 76 includes a first portion 76A on the outer surface of
the first
side 80A, and a second portion 76B on the inner surface of the second side
80B. In
addition, the first zipper 78 includes a first portion 78A on the outer
surface of the
first side 80A, and a second portion 78B on the inner surface of the second
side 80B.
As such, when the first portions 76A and 78A and the second portions 76B and
78B
of the respective fastening arrangements are joined together, they are
operative to
keep the frontal opening 74 closed. It should be understood that in an
alternative
embodiment, more or less fastening arrangements can be included on the outer
module 18 without departing from the spirit of the invention.
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(051] In the non-limiting embodiment shown in Figures 6A and 6B, when the
frontal
opening 74 is closed, a portion of the second side 80B of the jacket outer
module 18
overlaps a portion of the first side 80A of the jacket outer module 18. As
such, the
outer module 18 further includes magnets 84 on each of the first side 80A and
the
second side 80B that are able to join together when the first side 80A and the
second
side 80B overlap. In a non-limiting embodiment, the magnets 84 are located
near the
head opening 70 for keeping the extended collar 86 closed. The magnets 84 are
thereby operative to keep the overlapping portion of the second side 80B in
place, and
to help protect the first zipper 78. In this manner, debris and/or foreign
fluids are
prevented from entering the frontal opening 74 of the outer module 18.
[052] In addition to the first zipper 78, the jacket outer module includes a
second
zipper 82. The second zip 82 includes a first zipper portion 82A and a second
zipper
portion 82B. The first zipper portion 82A is located on the edge of the front
opening
74 on the first side 80A of the jacket 18 and the second zipper portion 82B is
located
on the inner surface of the second side 80B. As will be described in more
detail
below, the second zipper 82 is operative for connecting the jacket inner
module 16 to
the jacket outer module 18.
[053] Shown in Figures 7A and 7B is the pants outer module 22. Figure 7A shows
a
front view of the pants outer module 22 and Figure 7B shows a rear view of the
pants
outer module 22. The pants outer module 22 includes two legs 90 and a pelvic
covering portion 92 that includes a front opening 94, such that the wearer can
don and
un-don the pants outer module 22. In the non-limiting embodiment shown, the
pants
outer module 22 includes hooks 98, knee reinforcements 96 and florescent bands
102
around the lower leg portions. It should be appreciated that each of these
components
is optional. The hooks 98 are operable align the inner pant module with the
outer pant
module.
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[054] Shown in Figure 8 is an expanded view of the pelvic covering portion 92
of
the pants outer module 22. As shown, the pants outer module 22 includes a hook
and
loop arrangement 95 for fastening the front opening 94, and a hook and dee
fastener
100 that comprises a hook portion 100B and a dee portion 100A. Such hook and
dee
fasteners 100 are known in the art, and as such will not be described in more
detail
herein.
(055] The pants outer module 22 further comprises a first longitudinal opening
106A
along a first outer leg portion and a second longitudinal opening 106B along a
second
outer leg portion. In accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present
invention, the first longitudinal opening 106A and the second longitudinal
opening
106B are each closable via a zipper (not shown). It should however be
appreciated
that other fastening devices, such as poppers, or a hook and loop arrangement
could
also be used without departing from the spirit of the invention.
[056] Due to the presence of the first and second longitudinal openings 106A
and
106B, instead of having to remove the pants outer module 22 by opening the
front
opening 74, the pants outer module 100 can be removed by opening the first and
second longitudinal openings 106A and 106B. In this manner, in the case where
the
wearer needs to quickly remove the pants outer module 22, such as in the case
where
the extra protection from the pants outer module 22 is not needed, the wearer
can
simply use the first and second longitudinal openings 106A and 106B to quickly
remove the pants outer module 22.
[057] Each of the jacket outer module 18 and the pants outer module 22
comprise at
least two layers of material. Shown in Figure 9 is a non-limiting example of
the layers
of material that make up the outer modules 18 and 22. As shown, each of the
outer
modules 18 and 22 comprises an inside layer 110 of thermal insulation material
and
an outside layer 112 of abrasion resistant material.
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[058] The inside layer 110 is operative for providing thermal insulation from
the
harsh environmental conditions to which the emergency workers might be faced,
such
as the heat from a fire, for example. A non-limiting example of a type of
material that
is suitable for the inside layer 110 is a mesh fabric, such as a Nomex~ mesh
fabric.
[059] The outside layer 112 of the outer modules 18 and 22 is an abrasion
resistant
material that is operative for providing cut, tear, and puncture resistance,
as well as
water and flame resistance. In a non-limiting example of implementation, the
outside
layer 112 can be made of a tightly woven aramid fabric, such as Nomex~, a
Nomex~/Kevlar~ blend, a PBI~/Kevlar~ blend or Millenia~.
[060] As mentioned above, the outer modules 18 and 22 of the protective
garment
10 are operative to be worn in combination with the inner modules 16 and 20.
When
worn together, the outer modules 18 and 22 together with the inner modules 16
and
20 provide a protective garment that is in compliance with the NFPA 1971
standard
for structural fire fighting. In other words, the additional thermal
insulation properties
provided by the outer modules 18 and 22 boost the properties of the inner
modules 16
and 20, such that the combination of the inner and outer modules provides a
protective garment that meets more rigorous standards.
[061] In a further non-limiting embodiment, the combination of the inner
modules
16 and 20, together with the outer modules 18 and 22 provides a protective
garment
that would provide protection against chemical, biological and nuclear
hazards.
[062] The Inner Module toEether with the Outer Module
[063] Shown in Figure 10 is the jacket inner module 16 connected to the jacket
outer
module 18. In order to connect the jacket inner module 16 to the jacket outer
module
18, the zip portion 38A of the jacket inner module 16 is connected to the zip
portion
82A of the jacket outer module 18, and the zip portion 38B of the jacket inner
module
16 is connected to the zip portion 82B of the jacket outer module 22. As such,
the
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zipper 38 of the jacket inner module 16 has the dual purpose of being able to
close the
frontal opening 32 of the jacket inner module 16, as well as being able to
connect the
jacket inner module 16 to the jacket outer module 18.
[064] When the jacket inner module 16 is connected to the jacket outer module
18,
the combination of the frontal opening 32 of the inner module 16 and the
frontal
opening 74 of the outer module 18 provides a frontal opening 114. In the
embodiment
shown in Figure 10, the frontal opening 114 can be closed via three fastening
arrangements, namely the hook and loop arrangement 36 of the inner module 16
and
the hook and loop arrangement 76 and the zipper 78 of the outer module 18.
[065] In the non-limiting embodiment shown in Figure 10, the hooks 36A of the
hook and loop arrangement 36 of the inner module 16 are on the opposite side
of the
frontal opening 114 from the hooks 76B of the hook and loop arrangement 76 of
the
outer module 18. Likewise, the loops 36B of the hook and loop arrangement 36
of the
inner module 16 are on the opposite side of the frontal opening 114 from the
loops
76A of the hook and loop arrangement 76 of the outer module 18. In this
manner, the
hook and loop arrangement 36 of the inner module 16 cannot connect with the
hook
and loop arrangement 76 of the outer module 18 which would cause a
misalignment
of the fastening arrangements. An advantage of connecting the jacket inner
module 16
to the jacket outer module 18 is that the combination of the two jacket
modules can be
donned and un-donned by the wearer in one step, as opposed to the two steps of
firstly
putting on the inner module 16, and then secondly putting on the outer module
18
over the inner module 16.
[066] Shown in Figure 11 is the mufti-purpose protective garment 10 shown in
the
assembled state, wherein the jacket inner module 16 and the jacket outer
module 18
are assembled together to form the overall jacket 12, and the pants outer
module 22 is
worn over the pants inner module 20 to form the overall pants 14. As mentioned
above, the inner modules 16 and 20 can be worn separately in order to form a
protective garment of a first type, such as a protective garment that is in
accordance
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with one or both of the NFPA 1999 Standard on Protective Clothing for
Emergency
Medical Operations , and the Standard on Protective Ensemble for USAR (Urban
Search and Rescue) Operations. However, the inner modules 16 and 20 can also
be
worn in combination with the outer modules 18 and 22, as shown in Figure 11,
in
order to form a protective garment of a second type, such as a protective
garment that
is in accordance with the NFPA 1971 Standard on Protective Ensemble for
Structural
Fire Fighting.
[067] In a further non-limiting embodiment, the second type of protective
garment is
also in compliance with the NFPA 1994 Standard on Protective Ensembles for
Chemical/Biological Terrorism Incidents. In order to meet this NFPA 1994
standard,
the protective garment would include additional protective fabrics and
specialised
closure systems that are known in the art. As such, these additional
protection
components will now be described in more detail herein.
[068] As such, the multi-purpose protective garment 10 of the present
invention
provides a single protective garment that is suitable for being worn in
multiple
different emergency situations. For example, when responding to an emergency
medical situation, the fire fighter, or other emergency worker can simply wear
the
jacket inner module 16 and the pants inner module 20. Then, when responding to
an
emergency fire fighting situation, the fire fighter can wear both the inner
modules 16
and 20 together with the outer modules 18 and 22. In this manner, the mufti-
purpose
protective garment 10 provides the emergency response worker with the
appropriate
garment for multiple different jobs. In addition, the fire fighter, or other
emergency
responder can decide on-site which is the optimal combination of garments to
be worn
for the task at hand.
(0691 ChemicaUBiolo~ical Suit
[070] Shown in Figure 12 is a protective garment 120 that is suitable for
protection
against chemical and biological threats. The protective garment 120 comprises
a full-
CA 02507705 2005-05-17
body encapsulation suit 122 as well as the jacket outer module 18 and the
pants outer
module 22, which are to be worn over the full-body encapsulation suit 122. In
such an
embodiment, the full-body encapsulation suit 122 would be worn instead of the
jacket
inner module 16 and the pants inner module 20.
[071] The combination of the full-body encapsulation suit 122 with the jacket
outer
module 18 and the pants outer module 22 provides an emergency responder with
an
overall protective garment 120 that meets a level-two protective factor as
defined by
the NFPA 1994 Standard on Protective Ensembles for ChemicalBiological
Terrorism
Incidents. It is possible that an emergency responder could arrive at a scene
wearing a
protective garment 10 that includes both the inner modules 16 and 20 and the
outer
modules 18 and 22, only to learn that there is the possibility of a
chemical/biological
hazard. In such a situation, the emergency responder can quickly change
protective
garments by removing the outer modules 18 and 22 and the inner modules 16 and
20,
1 S donning the full body encapsulation suit 122 and then re-donning the outer
modules
18 and 22. In this manner, the emergency responder will be able to quickly
adjust
his/her protective garment in order to be fully equipped for the type
situation.
[072] In a non-limiting example of implementation, the full-body encapsulation
suit
is made of a selectively permeable membrane film that is laminated to, but not
limited
to, an aramid fabric substrate. Such films are suitable for protection against
chemical
and biological hazards, and are presently developed by Stedair Inc., W.L. Gore
and
Duppont, among others. It should however be understood that other films
suitable for
protection against chemical and biological hazards that are identified as
chem/bio
terror agents could be used without departing from the spirit of the
invention.
[073] Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail
with
reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, variations and refinements
are
possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the
scope of
the invention should be limited only by the appended claims and their
equivalents.
16
