Overview
EN ISO 15384:2020/A1:2021 is Amendment 1 to the European adoption of ISO 15384 and updates laboratory test methods and performance requirements for wildland firefighting clothing. Published by CEN in 2021, the amendment clarifies test conditioning, cleaning (pre‑treatment) procedures, specific material test exclusions, and adds or revises performance criteria (e.g., abrasion resistance, tear strength, innocuousness). This standard is primarily concerned with the laboratory evaluation and minimum performance of garments worn by firefighters combating fires in natural environments.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Pre‑treatment (cleaning) of test specimens
- Test specimens shall be subjected to five cleaning cycles.
- Washing: follow ISO 6330 (front‑loading horizontal drum, reference detergent 3, procedure 6N at 60 ±3 °C; tumble dry F, exhaust 40–80 °C).
- If only dry‑cleaning is allowed, use ISO 3175‑2.
- Conditioning before tests
- Minimum 24 h conditioning per ISO 139 at 20 ±2 °C and 65 ±5 % RH; test within 5 minutes of removal unless otherwise stated.
- Material/component testing
- All materials in a component assembly (rank markings, retroreflective/fluorescent materials) must be tested separately but excluding hardware; assembled testing also required.
- Tear strength and abrasion
- Tear strength references corrected: ISO 4674‑1 Method B (coated fabrics) or ISO 13937‑2 with a requirement ≥25 N.
- New Abrasion resistance (7.4): outer material tested per ISO 12947‑2 at 12 kPa with crossbred worsted abradant fabric, achieving ≥20 000 rubs to breakdown.
- Innocuousness
- New clause (9.4): materials must not release substances harmful to health; acceptability per ISO 13688:2013 (innocuousness requirements).
- Measurement reporting
- Annex revised: report all individual specimen results and the coefficient of variation (percentage) for laboratory test variability.
- Other editorial updates
- Pocket flap wording clarified (excludes dedicated radio pockets); pictogram insertion and minor editorial fixes.
Applications and users
- Manufacturers of wildland firefighting clothing - design validation, product development, and compliance.
- Test laboratories - standardized methods for certification and quality control testing.
- Fire services and procurement officers - specifying minimum performance requirements in tenders.
- Certification bodies and regulators - conformity assessment and standard enforcement.
- Occupational safety professionals - evaluating protective clothing suitability for wildland firefighting.
Related standards
This amendment refines the laboratory protocols and reporting needed to demonstrate that wildland firefighting garments meet reliable, repeatable performance criteria for field safety and procurement.
