Shroud for wearing with proximity fire fighting protective garments

The shroud is made of a radiant-heat reflecting and thermo-insulating fabric material and is shaped to cover the shoulders, upper chest and back of a firefighter, and to be worn with a firefighting proximity garment. The shroud has a lower edge reaching the upper chest and back of the firefighter, and a continuous upper edge extending to the helmet outer cover. A face opening is provided in the shroud opposite the face piece when the shroud is worn over the firefighting protective garment. The face opening can be adjusted to the dimension of the face piece and is arranged to prevent the formation of gaps in protection between the face piece and the periphery of the face opening. The shroud can be fixed to the helmet outer cover at the continuous upper edge so as to prevent heat from penetrating into the firefighting protective garment between the helmet and the helmet outer cover.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 (a) Field of the Invention
 The present invention relates to a shroud for wearing with proximity fire
 fighting protective garments. More specifically, this invention relates to
 an aluminized shroud to be worn with proximity firefighting protective
 garments and helmet. More particularly, the invention is concerned with
 the provision of an opening in the shroud so as to accommodate a variety
 of face pieces of different SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus)
 while meeting the dimensional requirements of the 2000 edition of NFPA
 1976 (National Fire Protection Association). As well, the invention is
 concerned with the provision of a front closure system enabling the shroud
 to be easily donned and doffed, such that the wearer does not have to
 align the right and left sides in order to close it and have a continuous
 seal of the right half with the left, and that there is no chance of the
 right and left sides inadvertently separating.
 (b) Description of Prior Art
 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard 1976 dictated the
 design and performance requirements for helmets, trousers and coats
 intended for proximity fire fighting. However, until the publication of
 the 2000 edition of NFPA 1976, there was no standard governing the design
 and performance of shrouds used for proximity fire fighting.
 Until the publication of the 2000 edition of NFPA 1976 there currently
 existed two types of shroud used with proximity protective clothing. One
 was an aluminized hood with built-in radiant-heat reflecting visor that
 covers the entire head, shoulders, upper back and upper chest. This design
 of shroud is claustrophobic and restricts peripheral vision clearance.
 This design has fallen into disfavor.
 The second type of shroud is a single layer of aluminized fabric (now
 multiple layers of material of which one is aluminized fabric) attached to
 the helmet suspension system. This shroud drapes over the shoulders and
 the upper chest and back of a firefighter. All of the various manufactured
 shrouds of this second type have left and right sides that overlap and
 close at the front by means of hook and pile fastener tape. The
 completeness of the seal of two sides depends on the attention the wearer
 pays when aligning the two sides and the corresponding hook and pile
 fasteners. Occasionally the two sides would not be properly aligned and
 closed. As a result, there could be gaps in the protection offered by the
 shroud or the two sides could separate during the rigors of proximity fire
 fighting.
 Furthermore, since there was no standard governing the dimensions of the
 face opening, the manufacturer was at liberty to design the face opening
 of the shroud with the dimensions it chose. It was not uncommon to have a
 gap in protection between the SCBA face piece and the edge of the face
 opening in the shroud.
 With the publication of the 2000 edition of NFPA 1976, it is now necessary
 for the shroud to meet stringent design and performance requirements. In
 particular, NFPA dictates that the face opening shall measure 55/8 inches
 (+0/-1 inch) in any direction or, if designed to be worn with a specific
 SCBA face piece, shall overlap the outer edge of the specific SCBA face
 piece-to-face seal perimeter by not less than 1/2 inch.
 As a consequence, it is more difficult to ensure that the shroud face
 opening interfaces with the SCBA face piece. Since there are at least
 seven different brands of SCBA commonly used in proximity fire
 fighting--each with its own design of face piece--it has almost become
 necessary to have one design of shroud for each brand of SCBA face piece.
 Furthermore, NFPA 1976 requires the shroud itself to have a thermal
 protective performance rating of at least 35. In order to achieve this
 level of thermal performance, it is necessary for the shroud to be
 constructed of either a single layer of thermal reflective and insulating
 material or of multiple layers of thermal insulating and reflective
 material. The thicker single layer or multiple layers produce a shroud
 that is stiffer than the earlier versions.
 Another consequence of the stiffer shrouds is that it has become more
 difficult to both align and securely close the two halves of the shroud
 with hook and pile fastener. As well, it is more likely that the front
 opening of the shroud accidentally gapes during the rigors of proximity
 fire fighting.
 Another disadvantage of this second type of shroud is that it is normally
 attached to the helmet with the consequence that radiant heat easily
 penetrates through the gap between the shroud and the helmet outer cover
 and may produce real discomfort to the firefighter.
 SUMMARY OF INVENTION
 It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a proximity
 shroud that interfaces with a variety of SCBA face pieces in compliance
 with the interface requirements of NFPA 1976.
 It is another object of the present invention to provide a shroud that is
 ergonomically designed to minimize the loss of flexibility resulting from
 the TPP requirement (Thermal Protective Performance).
 It is yet another object of the present invention to have a shroud whose
 left and right sides close securely by means of a slide fastener.
 It is another object of the present invention to remove the need to align
 the right and left sides of the shroud before closing.
 In accordance with the invention, there is provided a shroud to be worn as
 part of a proximity firefighting protective ensemble, said ensemble
 including coat and trousers, a helmet, a helmet outer cover. gloves and
 boots, and a SCBA face piece, said shroud interfacing with said SCBA face
 piece, and said shroud comprising
 at least one layer of radiant heat-reflecting and thermo-insulating fabric
 material,
 said shroud being shaped to substantially cover shoulders, upper chest and
 back of a firefighter and to be worn with said proximity firefighting
 protective ensemble,
 said shroud having a continuous lower edge reaching said upper chest and
 back, and a continuous upper edge extending to said helmet outer cover,
 a face opening provided in said shroud to be disposed opposite said face
 piece when said shroud is worn with said firefighting protective ensemble,
 said face opening having a periphery formed with means to cause said face
 opening to adjust to dimension of said face piece and to prevent formation
 of gaps in protection between said face piece and the periphery of said
 face opening,
 means to fix said shroud to said helmet outer cover at said continuous
 upper edge in a manner to prevent heat from penetrating into said
 firefighting protective ensemble between said shroud and said helmet outer
 cover.
 According to a preferred embodiment, the shroud has a vertical front
 opening provided between a lower end of the face opening and the
 continuous lower edge, the vertical opening being arranged to prevent
 complete separation of the shroud at a chest portion thereof, to permit
 easy donning and doffing of the shroud, and means to fasten the vertical
 front opening after donning the shroud, and to unfasten the vertical front
 opening for doffing the shroud.
 According to another preferred embodiment, the shroud according to the
 invention comprises snapping means associated with the helmet outer cover
 at a lower periphery thereof and with the shroud at the continuous upper
 edge, to fix the shroud to the helmet outer cover.
 According to yet another preferred embodiment, the shroud comprises a
 plurality of snap hooks, distributed along the outer periphery of the
 helmet outer cover, and a plurality of corresponding snap heads
 distributed along the upper edge of the shroud, the snap hooks capable of
 engaging the snap heads to fix the shroud to the helmet outer cover.
 The fabric material is preferably aluminized on its surface to reflect
 radiant heat.
 In accordance with another preferred embodiment, the periphery of the face
 opening is provided with a resilient material, such as an elastic band,
 enabling the face opening to resiliently extend and retract to adjust to
 the dimension of the face piece.
 In accordance with yet another preferred embodiment, the vertical front
 opening divides the chest portion of the shroud into a right chest part
 and a left chest part, the shroud comprising means to prevent misalignment
 of the right and left parts when fastening the vertical front opening.
 Preferably, the vertical front opening stops short of the continuous lower
 edge to prevent complete separation of the right part from the left part
 thereby preventing misalignment thereof when fastening the vertical front
 opening.
 The fastening and unfastening means for the vertical front opening
 preferably comprise a slide fastener, which is arranged to spread the
 right and left parts but which prevents complete separation thereof at the
 lower ends thereof.
 In accordance with another preferred embodiment, one of the right or left
 part is formed with a flap along the vertical front opening, the flap
 being constructed to cover the slide fastener when the latter is in
 fastened position, thereby preventing heat from reaching inside the shroud
 through the slide fastener. In addition, the right chest part may overlap
 the left chest part when fastening the slide fastener, thereby further
 preventing heat from reaching inside the shroud through the slide
 fastener.
 In accordance with yet another preferred embodiment, the shroud comprises
 the above right chest part and left chest part, a right shoulder piece and
 a left shoulder piece, and a back and neck piece, the right shoulder piece
 being sewn to the back and neck piece and part of the right chest part,
 the left shoulder piece being sewn to the back and neck piece and part of
 the left chest part, the back and neck piece being also sewn to part of
 the right and left chest parts.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
 Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the shroud 1 which is
 illustrated consists of a back and neck piece 3 which is shaped as
 illustrated to cover the upper back, the rear and sides of the neck, and
 the head of a firefighter. It should also be noted that back and neck
 piece 3 is continuous in the upper part thereof by having an integral
 strip 5 which covers the area of the forehead of a firefighter. The shroud
 also consists of a chest piece which is formed of a right chest part 7 and
 a left chest part 9, the two parts being joined together at 11 by having a
 common bottom edge 13. It is indeed essential to have such joining of
 parts 7 and 9 to prevent any misalignment of chest parts 7 and 9 when
 donning and doffing the shroud. Any means to achieve this purpose is
 within the scope and spirit of the present invention. Shroud 1 also
 comprises right shoulder piece 15 and left shoulder piece 17. All these
 parts are sewn together (or assembled together by any means known to those
 skilled in the art) as shown. More particularly, right shoulder part 15 is
 sewn to back and neck piece 3 at 19, and to right chest part 7 at 21,
 while left shoulder piece 17 is sewn to back and neck piece 3 at 23, and
 to left chest part 9 at 25. In turn, back and neck piece 3 is also sewn to
 right chest part 7 at 27, and to left chest part 9 at 29. Of course, the
 particular way in which the various parts are sewn together is not part of
 the present invention and is entirely left to one skilled in the art. The
 only requirement is that once the parts constituting the shroud are
 assembled together, the shroud according to the invention should have the
 properties of being radiant heat reflecting and thermo-insulating.
 All in all, once assembled, the shroud should have a continuous lower edge
 31 which generally reaches the upper chest and upper back of a
 firefighter, as well as his upper arms. The shroud also has a continuous
 upper edge 33 which reaches the border of the helmet outer cover 35 (as
 shown in FIG. 3), which is worn by a firefighter over his helmet (not
 shown). The various parts of the shroud are shaped in such a manner that
 they provide a face opening 37 in the shroud, to be disposed opposite the
 face piece (not shown) of a firefighter's SCBA, when it is worn over his
 protective garment (not shown). The formation of face opening 37 is made
 possible by providing suitable cut out portions in back and neck piece,
 and right and left chest parts 7 and 9. More details with respect to face
 opening 37 will be described later.
 To ensure that lower edge 31 is continuous and thereby to prevent a
 possible misalignment of right chest part 7 relative to left chest part 9
 (when donning the shroud), which is an essential characteristic of the
 invention, in the illustrated embodiment, right chest part 7 and left
 chest part 9 are sewn together where they meet at the middle front of
 lower middle extremity 11. The shroud 1 is provided with a vertical
 opening extending from the face opening 37 to the joining point 11 of the
 left and right chest parts 7 and 9. It will also be realized that this
 vertical opening 39 extends from the lowermost point 41 of opening 37 to a
 point 43 short of continuous lower edge 31. In this manner, when donning
 the shroud, right chest part 7 and left chest part 9 are always aligned
 with respect to one another.
 Turning now to opening 37, it is pointed out that it is shaped to adjust in
 size to a multiplicity of face piece sizes. To achieve this, the size of
 face opening 37 is such that its periphery overlaps the outer edge of the
 smallest size face piece presently available by not less than 12 inch, to
 meet the requirements of NFPA 1976. Of course, when the face piece is
 larger, this becomes a problem as it would be desirable to then have a
 shroud with a larger opening. According to the present invention, in order
 to prevent the formation of a gap between the face piece and the periphery
 of face opening 37, there is inserted an elastic band 45 all along the
 periphery of face opening 37. In its retracted position, the elastic band
 will cause face opening 37 to be perfectly adjusted to the smallest size
 face piece which is presently available. When the face piece is larger, it
 is merely necessary to extend the periphery of face opening 37 which is
 made possible by extending elastic band 45. Of course any other means to
 cause the periphery of opening 37 to be resilient is within the scope and
 spirit of the present invention.
 It was mentioned above that a vertical opening 39 is provided between right
 chest part 7 and left chest part 9. To make sure that no heat penetrates
 through opening 39 when the latter is fastened, vertical opening 39 is
 provided with a slide fastener of the Zipper.RTM. type. More particularly,
 right toothed strip 47 is fixed along vertical edge 49 of the right chest
 part 7 while left toothed strip 51 is slightly offset with respect to the
 vertical edge 53 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 so that in fastened position of
 right and left chest parts 7 and 9, right chest part 7 overlaps left chest
 part 9 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. To additionally prevent any heat
 penetration, a flap 55 is fixed along the inside of vertical edge 53 to
 overlap the slide fastener.
 Finally, it is one of the features of the present invention to prevent heat
 from penetrating between helmet outer cover 35 and the helmet (not shown).
 To achieve this, a plurality of snapping heads 57 are distributed on the
 outer face of shroud 1 along continuous upper edge 33 as illustrated in
 FIG. 3. Correspondingly, a plurality of snapping hooks 59 are attached to
 the inner lower portion of helmet outer cover 35 by means of attachments
 61. So, after donning the shroud, it is merely necessary to snap it to
 helmet outer cover as indicated. Of course, any other suitable attachment
 means for the shroud is within the scope and spirit of the present
 invention.
 The shroud according to the invention gives a full protection against
 radiant heat and is fully thermo-insulating under normal circumstances.
 Of course, modifications are possible within the spirit and scope of the
 present invention as defined in the appended claims.