On 10 April 2026, ECPC 2027 hosted its second webinar, bringing together three researchers to present the latest evidence on why female firefighters are systematically underserved by current fire-protective clothing standards.
The webinar is part of a series leading up to the European Conference of Protective Clothing (ECPC2027), which will take place at TTK University of Applied Sciences in May 2027.
What does the statistics show?
- 80% of female firefighters report ill-fitting gear
- 4 times higher rate of fit issues vs male colleagues
- 33% greater injury risk for female firefighters
What did the research find?
Jemma Forgie from University of Alberta presented survey and interview data from 379 female firefighters in Canada and the United States. Key findings were the following:
- Only 23% rated their gear fit as ‘just right’; 78% described it as bulky and 57% found movement restricted.
- 86% had no access to women-specific fire-protective clothing. Even those who did often found it still did not fit.
- Gloves, helmet, pant hip/crotch, and SCBA packs showed the lowest satisfaction — and the highest rate of improvised modification.
- Modifications ranged from adding foam to face masks to removing helmets entirely — workarounds that create new safety risks.
Josephine T. Bolaji and Ziwen (Jackoee) Qiu, postdoctoral researchers from the United States presented anthropometric data from 187 female firefighters compared with NFPA sizing standards and the general female population:
- Current NFPA 1977 (wildland) sizing covers fewer than 45% of female firefighters for sleeve length and achieves 0% coverage for front-rise measurements.
- Female firefighters are on average 6 cm taller and have waist circumferences ~10 cm larger than the general female population — the equivalent of up to two pants sizes.
- Sizing revisions in the 2022 NFPA edition improved coverage only marginally. The standards were changed without clear reference to actual anthropometric data.
- Women are not a smaller version of men — downscaling male patterns is not a solution.
Why it matters?
Poorly fitted PPE compromises thermal protection, restricts movement, and forces firefighters into unsafe workarounds. The research calls for sizing standards to be grounded in female-specific anthropometric data, and for manufacturers and fire departments to actively close the design gap.
A special issue on Inclusive PPE is currently in production at the Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics. Researchers are invited to contribute.
The webinar is available to watch in full HERE.
The next webinar in the series Sustainability & Protective Clothing will take place on May 26, 2026. Speaker is Dr Patricia Dolez, webinar is moderated by Professor Ada Traumann. Register for the webinar HERE.
Learn more about the ECPC2027 conference and the webinar series: https://ecpc2027.ee and ECPC LinkedIn
