Progress 01/04/18 to 09/30/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Farmers, firefighters, NFPA (National Fire Protection Agency), and safety product developers and manufacturers. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During the project period, in 2018, the PI's team offered training for about 60 Pesticide Applicators. The training detail is below. "Greenhous Pesticide Applicators and Personal Protective Equipment: Assessment of Greenhouse Applicator Needs" Sanjay Guria and Huiju Park,2018 Cornell Pesticide Applicator Update (March 13, 2018),146 Morrison Hall, Cornell University,Audience: About 60 Greenhouse pesticide applicators. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?During the entire project period, 4 peer-reviewed journal publications and 8 conference presentations have been made. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the entire project period, the PI has scanned more than 50 firefighters' feet, analyzed about 10,000 US civilian's anthropometric data and various types of fire boots, and carried out online surveys with firefighters to identify gender-specific fire gear design issues, to propose effective boot sizing systems, and propose user-centered design strategies specifically for female firefighters. The outcomes of this 3 year project has been disseminated through conference proceedings and journal publications. In addition, the outcomes of this project has received attention from the fire gear companies and fire service communities. The PI has also developed new design of protective coveralls that have improved size adjustable design features for greenhouse pesticide applicators.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Jo, J. Sokolowski, S., McQuerry, M., Griffin, L., & Park, H. (2022). Foot of Firefighters:Difference by Sex and Weight Bearing, Applied Ergonomics (Impact factor: 3.661).
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Jo, J. & Park, H. (Under review). Fit of Fire Boots: Exploring Internal Morphology Using Computed Tomography Scan, Ergonomics (Impact factor: 2.76).
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Guria, S. & Park, H. (In revision after the first review). Evaluating Seam Types Used in Coveralls for Greenhouse Pesticide Applicators, Research Journal of Textile and Apparel.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Park,H., Griffin, L, McQuerry, M, & Tuttle, J. (2022, Accepted). Visual,
Volumetric and Anthropometric Measurement Comparisons Between Boot Interior and 3D Foot Scans to Improve Firefighter Safety. International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics.
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Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Primary audience: Firefighters, Secondary audience: manufacturers of personal protective gear, NFPA (National Fire Protection Agency), and researchers and students in the field of apparel and textiles. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Twoconference proceedings and presentations were made at an international conferencein Year 3. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The PI will focus on dissemination of outcomes of this project through journal publication and conference presentations.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In Year 3, two experiments were conducted. Experiment 1) 3D foot scanning of 11 firefighters (3 females and 8 males) toexamine the effect of fire gear weight-bearing on foot dimension. Experiment 2) computed tomography scan of fire boots to investigate space inside the fire boots to understand relationships among fire boots sizing, fit and mobility issues. The two experiments were submitted for journal publication and conference proceedings. As accomplishment from Experiment 1, the PI identified the impact of fire gear weight-bearing on foot dimensions, which is clearly different from general public. Compared to the general population, the firefighters studied had a wider foot breadth. This means that if manufacturers base their fire boots on the foot shape and dimensions of the general population, their products will likely be too narrow for both male and female firefighters. This challenge may also lead to firefighters selecting boots that fit their foot width appropriately but then are too long in length. The significant difference of firefighters' medial ankle height compared to the general population should also be considered when developing fire boots. If boots follow the foot shape and dimensions of the general population, then the ankle fit, and support might not function as effectively for firefighters. When considering sex, the slimmer female firefighter foot breadth observed in this study implies that fire boots designed for males may not appropriately fit women. Another focus of the experiment was to see if differences in foot dimension occurred between the subjects in weight-bearing conditions (without gear and with gear). The results showed that heavy firefighting PPE made the foot longer and wider in both half-weight and full-weight scenarios. Changes were also seen in the half-weight, no gear condition. In addition, weightbearing made the arch flatter which is known to be related to postural instability and fatigue/overuse of leg muscles. These findings suggest that boot lasts, and the design of fire boots should carefully reflect changes in dynamic foot morphology and how they affect the safety of the wearers. As accomplishment from Experiment 2, the use of CT scan made it possible to see through the inner space of fire boots and spatial relationship between fire boots and firefighters' feet through visual and quantitative data in each critical area of fire boots that impacts firefighters' fit perception, comfort and mobility. Through this approach, the study identified 1) significant differences between the leather boots and rubber boots, and 2) narrower breadth of the leather boots. The findings demonstrated and discussed practical merits and current limitations of using CT scan to investigate fit issues regarding fire boots for firefighters' improved safety, mobility and comfort.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Jo, J., & *Park, H. (2020). Fit of Fire Boots: CT (Computerized Tomography) Scan and 3D
Simulation. 2020 Annual Conference of ITAA (International Textile and Apparel Association), Denver, CO. (Accepted, Oral presentation)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Guria, S., & *Park, H (2019). Design and Evaluation of Coverall for Pesticide Applicators using an ergonomic framework. 2019 Annual Conference of ITAA (International Textile and Apparel Association), Las Vegas, NV.
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Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19
Outputs
Target Audience:Primary audience: Firefighters, Secondary audience: manufacturers of personal protective gear, NFPA (National Fire Protection Agency), and researchers and students in the field of apparel and textiles. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?New design of fire helmet and SCBA harness have been evaluated by firefighters working near Cornell University. In addition, the findings of this design effort and firefighters' evaluation is being written as thesis which is expected to publish by the end of summer 2020, and also is expected to submitted to the 2020 annual conference of International Textile and Apparel Association for poster presentation. The other two studies about 1) development of new suspenders for female firefighters, and 2) 3D scan of firefighters feet are also expected to be disseminated through conference presentations at the 2020 annual conference of International Textile and Apparel Association. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The project team is currently arranging 3D scan of firefighters' lower limbs, and X-ray imaging of fireboots to see the spatial relationship between the foot and boots in weight bearing conditions (in simulation of firefighters wearing a 20 lb. SCBA tank). In addition, upon IRB approval, the new design of suspenders for female firefighters will be evaluated.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During Year 2, the project team successfully 3D scanned a total of 50 firefighters (including 29 females and 21 males) in Florida in collaboration with researchers from University Oregon, University of Minesotta, and Florida State University. The scan data includes anthropometric data of hands, feet and torso which can provide foundation for improved sizing system of firefighters' turnout ensembles, firegloves and fireboots. In particular, the project team at Cornell has focused on measurements of feet morphology and comparison with male and female data in the same foot length range to see whether use of gender specific shoe last is necessary, and whether gender specific sizing and fit issue exist in wearing fireboots. The project team finished measurements of Foot length, Foot width, Ankle height lateral, Ankle height medial, Arch height, Calf height, Calf circumference, and Diagonal ankle circumference of all 50 participating firefighters. In addition, the project team developed new design of fire helmet and a harness system of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) based on literature review, interview with 7 firefighters (3 males and 4 females), and online survey with 93 firefighters (66 males and 27 females). Currently the data is being analyzed, but preliminary findings indicates the new design of fire helmet provides improved mobility of head and stability. Effectiveness of the new design of SCBA is being analyzed. A video clip was made to show characteristics and merits of new design of fire helmet and SCBA harness in contrast of existing conventional designs. Lastly, the project team developed new designs of suspenders for female firefighters for improved comfort on their upper body, and improved fit and comfort wearing heavy turnout pants. The new designs will be evaluated by local firefighters in Spring 2020 upon Institutional Review Board Approval.
Publications
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Tentative title of thesis: New design of firefighters' helmet and self-contained breathing apparatus for improved fit and mobility
Author: Yoojin Chung
The thesis is expected to be published by the end of summer 2020.
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Progress 01/04/18 to 09/30/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Primary audience: Firefighters, Secondary audience:manufacturers of personal protective gear,NFPA (National Fire Protection Agency), and researchers and students in the field ofapparel and textiles. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The major findings from the data collection at the iWomen Conference (in Washington DC in May 2018) were disseminated through a poster presentation at the 2018 ITAA (International Textile and Apparel Association) annual conference (Cleveland, OH). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The project team is planning to do following research activities. 1) Developing new design prototypes of firefighters' turnout coat for increased compatibility and ergonomic performance based on identified design problems and needs found in the interview with firefighters. 2) Interview with a fireboot manufacturer to understand the design consideration and regulations 3) Analysis of shoe last for fireboots based on an understanding of 3D morphology of the foot of US population (both male and female)
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During Year 1, the project team focused on 1) assessing impact of human factors on firefighters' mobility and 2) analyzing the design issues related to fireboots. Detailed accomplishments were explained below. 1) Statistical analysis of Size USA Data related to sizing of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA): Size USA data includes about anthropometric data of about 6,500 females and 3,500 males in the USA. Each person's 3D measurement data include 150 body measurements. By analyzing the length of SCBA and a range of torso length in the US population, the project team identified the length of SCBA is greater than torso length in a dominant portion of US population, which indicating the SCBA significantly restrict firefighters' upper body mobility by limiting range of motion of torso especially when bending or extending the torso. 2) The project team collaborated with iWomen (international organization of female firefighters) and other research teams from Minnesota, Oregon, Iowa and Kansas to interview 55 female firefighters and scan their feet and hands in May 2018 in Washionton DC. The interview data have been analyzed to identify gender specific design issues of firefighters' turnout ensembles, gloves and boots. Major design issues related to fireboots include 1) looseness around the ankle, creating clunky walking and rapid fatigue, and 2) overall ill-fitting of the boots causing loss of protection from hot splash and steam when crawling, and 3) difficulty finding the right size. The project team also developed a video tutorial as a way of effective 3D foot scanning and measurements using a portable 3D scanner, which enables rapid data collection without space restriction. The developed video tutorial was shared with other researchers (in Minnesota, Iowa, Oregon, Kansas, Missouri, Florida) collaborating in NC170 research group. 3) The project team finished measurements of 55 female participants' feet, The measurements which is critical to design and sizing of fireboots, include foot length, ankle height (lateral and medial), calf length, arch height, calf circumference, and foot width. 4) The project team analyzed the gender difference in foot width at the same foot length through looking into distribution of foot width at the same foot length of about 10,000 US people (available in the Size USA anthropometric data). The outcomes of this analysis show that female firefighters' foot width is significantly smaller than male in the same foot length. This data trends support the need for the use of female specific shoe last in developing fireboots for female firefighters.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Sokolowsk, S., Griffin, L., Carufel, R., Kim, N., Park, H., Shi, M., Morris, K., Aflatoony, L,, McKinney, E., Leathers, K., Wu, Y., Park, J., Conroy, B., Carvalho,M.. (2018). A User-Centered Approach for New PPE Development: iWomen Case Study, 2018 Annual Conference of ITAA (International Textile and Apparel Association), Cleveland, OH.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Park, H., Kakar, R., Pei J., Tome, J., & Stull, J. (2018). Impact of Size of Fire Boots and Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus on Firefighters Mobility. Clothing and Textile Research Journal
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Park, H., Kakar, R. S., Pei, J., Lee, H., Tome, J., and Stull, J. (2018). Different Impacts of Boot Height and Air Tanks on the Mobility of Tall and Short Firefighters, 2018 Annual Conference of ITAA (International Textile and Apparel Association), Cleveland, OH.
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