“In recent years, the number of female firefighters has increased. However, currently, many firefighting PPE brands do not provide female-specific sizes of firefighting gear. For safety, it is critical and urgent to design and develop female-specific turnout gear, particularly turnout coats and pants, as it can be hard to perform essential tasks such as walking, stair climbing, and reaching overhead. The objectives of this research are two-fold: 1) understanding female firefighters’ concerns on existing turnout coats and pants, and 2) proposing new female-specific firefighting turnout coats and pants accordingly. The undergraduate researcher first studied firewomen’s concerns and needs of turnout coats and pants, particularly fit and size issues related to firewomen’s female body shape, by reviewing literature and analyzing the design and fit of typical turnout coats and pants existing in the current market. Based on the findings of step one, the researcher then proposed a new design of firefighting turnout coat and pants after experimenting with functional design details and studying the material and construction requirements of firefighting turnout gear. Presently, the designs are in digital format as digital prototypes created using computer-aided design software which has been tailored towards female proportions and addresses issues derived from existing literature. This study was unique because the researcher visually proposed design adjustments that address firewomen’s concerns. As a goal of future work, the student will develop physical prototypes of the proposed digital designs and conduct wear trials with firefighting women to test the functionality, comfort, safety, and fit of the proposed designs.”

— Celeste Graciano