Paul Jennewein is a product specialist for flame-retardant (FR) mission combat clothing at GORE-TEX Professional. At the test site, he wants to test two scenarios that users in the military are exposed to: one is an accident during refueling of a vehicle or aircraft, and the second scenario involves an infantryman who gets caught in the explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED). The tests were performed by a professional stunt team in a controlled environment, secured by fire fighters.

Accident during refueling of military vehicles or aircraft

When refueling vehicles and aircraft under combat conditions at all times of the day and night, fuel frequently spills onto the clothing of the refuelers. Clothing wetted with flammable fuel can subsequently be ignited by contact with an ignition source such as sparks, extremely hot surfaces or the like. A Defense FR rain suit with GORE-TEX PYRAD® technology was tested. Jan Singh simulated this tank accident by spraying the right side of the suit with diesel and gasoline and then igniting it close to the ground by means of a small gas deflagration.

Heat and flames from improvised explosive device

Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) unfortunately continue to be a threat for soldiers on missions globally. In this scenario, the effects of the heat and flames caused by an IED on mission combat clothing are examined. Flame-retardant combat uniform made of PYRAD® fabric technology By GORE-TEX LABS, as worn by defense personnel in many European countries, is used. Jan Singh simulated this scene using two large initial gas explosions and a continuously burning gas flame as an additional heat source. Lycopodium was used as an additional fire effect in the background.

For the launch of the GORE-TEX Stretch product technology for defence use, I took part in a product field test with my defence team colleagues in the Swiss Alps. The programme included two nights in a mountain hut in the canton of Schwyz, climbing up and abseiling down a steep cliff, and exploring the Hölloch cave in the Muotatal.

I have only been a marketing associate with Gore for three months and this was my first team building activity, so it was a real baptism of fire for me!

We arrived at the hut on Wednesday around noon: a lovely six-bedroom wooden chalet in the middle of the mountains, with a modern kitchen, a wood-burning stove, and a well-stocked pantry for the occasion. Each bedroom had room for between two to four people or five at a squeeze. The chalet was completely self-sufficient in energy and the electricity was produced by a water turbine, which was enough to light us and charge the phones. However, we had to compromise on cold water showers. On the first day, we took our bearings, the programme was presented to us, and the household chores were divided: one team for the kitchen, another for the dishes, and a few early birds to prepare breakfast. It was also an opportunity to get to know my new colleagues, who had come from all over Europe, and even from Korea.

Although I must admit that living in a refuge and sharing rooms was already a new experience for me and slightly outside my comfort zone, the real adventure took place on the second day. Up early after a fairly short night for most of us, we were at the foot of a cliff by 8am equipped with ropes, carabiners, helmets and harnesses. We were kitted out with GORE-TEX Stretch jackets and rain trousers. I'd like to explain here the ease with which I climbed up and then rappelled down the cliff in my new clothes. Unfortunately, my fear of heights overcame my sense of adventure, and I preferred to join a small group of cautious colleagues and admired the more adventurous of the group from a café opposite the cliff. We did a walk in the mountains before reaching the café and were able to experience the quality of the clothing which were very lightweight, easy to walk in due to the stretch material and protected us from the wind. The feedback from the climbing team was unanimous: excellent comfort and freedom of movement when climbing and descending. The clothes are also very breathable which prevented us from getting too hot during the effort.

We spent the afternoon at Hölloch, a 200 km long and 1033 metres deep cave. Cave exploration was also a first for me, but it was a great experience which I was happy to share with my colleagues. We climbed, walked in the sand, climbed steps, slid down rocks on our bums and the protective clothing proved to be indispensable. I would like to thank our expert guide Pesche for his explanations on the discovery of the cave by a farmer in the last century. He also explained how the circulation of air works between the cave and the outside, the fact that the potential risk of the cave flooding depends on temperature and the formation of the different types of rock and the typology of the place. Pesche had even thought to bring a small stove and some broth to warm us up.

Despite some concerns before the event, I have good memories of this team building. I was very happy to meet my colleagues, all of whom were very friendly and warm, and attentive to each other when one of us was in difficulty. The GORE-TEX Stretch garments are fit for purpose: we put them to the test, and they came out without a hitch, like brand new. They were comfortable and lightweight, gave us a lot of freedom of movement, and kept us dry without sweating. Whilst this probably felt like a leisurely walk for some of my teammates who are used to spending nights in the snow and climbing more impressive peaks, it was a real adventure for me and I'm so glad I had the chance to participate. And I thoroughly enjoyed the hot shower when I got home.

To me, Paul Jennewein is like MacGuyver: he has every piece of gear you can think of with him in testing situations. Paul is a product specialist for flame-retardant (FR) mission combat clothing. At the test site, he immediately feels at home and tells me that he wants to test two scenarios that users in the military are exposed to: one is an accident during refueling of a vehicle or aircraft, and the second scenario involves an infantryman who gets caught in the explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED). The tests were performed by a professional stunt team in a controlled environment, secured by fire fighters.

Accident during refueling of military vehicles or aircraft

When refueling vehicles and aircraft under combat conditions at all times of the day and night, fuel frequently spills onto the clothing of the refuelers. Clothing wetted with flammable fuel can subsequently be ignited by contact with an ignition source such as sparks, extremely hot surfaces or the like. A Defense FR rain suit with GORE-TEX PYRAD® technology was tested. Jan Singh simulated this tank accident by spraying the right side of the suit with diesel and gasoline and then igniting it close to the ground by means of a small gas deflagration.

Heat and flames from improvised explosive device

Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) unfortunately continue to be a threat for soldiers on missions globally. In this scenario, the effects of the heat and flames caused by an IED on mission combat clothing are examined. Flame-retardant combat uniform made of PYRAD® fabric technology By GORE-TEX LABS, as worn by defense personnel in many European countries, is used. Jan Singh simulated this scene using two large initial gas explosions and a continuously burning gas flame as an additional heat source. Lycopodium was used as an additional fire effect in the background.

Technical rescuers are faced with the task of not knowing in advance what exactly they will encounter during a mission. Christophe Didelot, product specialist at GORE-TEX Professional for technical rescue, has worked out two corresponding scenarios in which stinging flames can occur during technical operations. The tests were performed by a professional stunt team in a controlled environment, secured by fire fighters.

Car accident with jet flame

In a car accident, liquid leaks from the car, which can ignite due to the heat and form a flash fire. Jacket and pants with GORE-TEX CROSSTECH® PYRAD® Stretch product technology were tested. Special effects expert Jan Singh simulated this pilot flame with a gas cartridge that exploded and continued to burn afterward, simulating the fire fighter catch at work next to car getting on fire.

Explosion in a building

In search and rescue or exploration activities, technical rescuers can be surprised by an explosion or a flash fire when opining a door: windows can burst and liquid can hit the jacket or pants and continue to burn. This is typical after a major disaster or a basement investigation without real visible fire. Jacket and pants with GORE-TEX CROSSTECH® PYRAD® Stretch product technology  were again being tested.

How did the garment protect the wearer with burning liquid on top of the surface after the flammable liquid spreads over the garment by the explosion?
Jan Singh simulated a flash fire exposure with a spread of 0,5 liter of gasoline/diesel mixture that explodes in a funnel set up in front of the stuntman a catch fire while spread on the stuntman. The flammable liquid continued to burn on the outside of the garment and the stuntman simulated how to extinguish the burning liquid, while the garment remained fully intact.

This project was still in its infancy, but it has already caught the attention of everyone involved, as we wanted to test the flame resistance of various GORE-TEX PYRAD® product constructions. Of course, the products are tested extensively in the Gore lab environment before they are used, such as horizontal external flame (EN ISO 15025-A), measurement of transmitted energy and prediction of burn risk using a sensor-equipped manikin (ISO 13056:2017) also known as Pyroman or ThermoMan. These are mostly tests that simulate extreme situations in a standardized test environment. But what happens to the garment in a real, mock end-use situation such as Molotov cocktail attack on a federal police officer. How does the garment look, how does the wearer of the garment feel about it? Initially, we had the idea that we would test it ourselves on a discarded mannequin and record it by means of photographs. 

But then, this was the outcome of the project:

·         two days test trials

·         five different fire situations

·         a professionally trained stuntman team

·         a special effects technology team working for film and television productions

·         three photo and two video cameras

·         plenty of new insights for the GORE-TEX Professional product specialists.

Molotov cocktail & Co.

Specifically, we wanted to test GORE-TEX PYRAD® product designs to see how the technology would perform, for example, in a Molotov cocktail attack on riot police or a refueling accident during a military aircraft refueling operation. But we also wanted to explore the use of technical rescue personnel, for example in a car accident, where liquids can suddenly ignite.

Special effects

After an initial conversation with special effects expert Jan Singh, it was clear that we would do the tests with a professional stuntman instead of a mannequin. The background to this decision was that certain sequences could be simulated much more realistically. With Jan Singh and his team, we had experts at our side who have been producing special effects such as fire, explosions, rain, snow, bullet holes in car windows, and much more for television productions or advertising for 22 years. For our experiments, we needed scenarios that were as realistic as possible, because we did not want to create huge explosions or special effects, as they are often used in Hollywood productions for the sake of entertainment.

Professional stuntman, test site and safety precautions

In order to be able to carry out such scenarios safely, we had to find a suitable location. A gravel pit operator in Bavaria granted us the necessary permission for the tests and - in close collaboration with the Stuntteam Germany - organized the local fire department to supervise the tests. The latter not only provided a professionally trained stuntman, but also took care of additional protection of the stuntman and filmcrew during the tests to exclude any risk of injury.

Test setup

The first day was a trial day. First, we had to discuss exactly the tests we had received based on user feedback with the special effects team and the stunt team. To simulate this, we set up a wooden dummy and tested the respective fire situation directly on the dummy. At the same time, we discussed the situation with the stunt team and instructed the stuntman exactly what to do in which situation. Paul Jennewein, Product Specialist GORE-TEX Professional for Defense, said he had already gained very important insights for his product development on the trial day. Then, on the next day, it was time to implement the five test scenarios. More about this in the next blog post.