The National Institute of Standards and Technology — with funding from the U.S. Fire Administration — has released its final report on a study conducted to determine at what temperatures and conditions SCBA facepiece lenses melt or degrade.



The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program, has identified thermally degraded and melted SCBA face pieces as a contributing factor in certain firefighter fatalities and injuries. The facepiece lens is often considered the weakest component of a firefighter’s ensemble in high heat conditions, but the level of thermal performance for the facepiece lenses was not well understood. The NIST study demonstrates a range of realistic thermal exposures and environmental conditions, which can result in thermal degradation and even catastrophic failure of facepieces.



The research and data is currently being reviewed by the NFPA Technical Committee on Respiratory Protection Equipment to strengthen the performance requirements in NFPA 1981, Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for Emergency Services.