The US Air Force (USAF) has conducted final field evaluation of the new joint firefighter integrated response ensemble (JFIRE) suit at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea.
The field test, conducted during a week-long base exercise, involved a multitude of scenarios relating to both conventional and chemical attacks.
The test team, which also comprised bioenvironmental engineers, emergency management and explosive ordnance disposal personnel, provided data for Air Force Research Lab researchers at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, US.
Tyndall Air Force Base Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency Fire Emergency Services programme manager Chief Master Sergeant Joseph Rivera said, “The ensemble specifically allows military firefighters to operate in a chemically contaminated environment.
“It allows us to survive if the environment is contaminated with chemical or biological agents, and should we need to respond and operate in a fire or other oxygen deficient atmosphere, we can also do that,” he added.
Lighter and less bulky than the current joint service lightweight integrated suit technology (JSLIST), the JFIRE consists of an outer shell to provide liquid protection and a carbon-bead filter material on the inside for vapour protection, according to officials.
