tankercaptain
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Navy details review of flammable uniforms
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By Dianna Cahn
The Virginian-Pilot
© January 12, 2013
NORFOLK
The Navy released details Friday of how it will review its working uniform after a test showed the fabric to be extremely flammable.
Navy working groups will look at all specialty uniforms worn by sailors and then determine whether the requirements for the regular working uniform need to change, the admiral in charge said Friday.
Adm. Bill Gortney, commander of U.S. Fleet Forces, commissioned the two working groups in close coordination with the Pacific Fleet commander, Adm. Cecil Haney, following the release of the test results in mid-December.
The tests showed that the uniform was quickly consumed by flames when exposed and that its nylon fibers melt onto skin.
One group will examine all organizational uniforms, like those worn by sailors on the flight deck or in engineering spaces, to help determine whether flame-resistant organizational clothing should be limited to specialized jobs, Gortney said.
Using that information, the second working group will determine whether all uniforms worn at sea should be flame-resistant.
"We intend to use these working groups to inform a deliberative review process," Gortney said in a news release. "We will determine the level of protection our sailors need, given the missions and tasks we expect them to execute."
Gortney said he hoped to have the groups' findings in a matter of weeks.
There has not been a Navy requirement for all hands to wear flame-resistant uniforms at sea since 1996, when the Navy changed its rules. It introduced the current working uniforms a few years ago, based on demand for an easy-to-care-for, nonwrinkling uniform that would hold up well to the demands of living at sea.
When the test results were revealed, admirals, including Gortney and Vice Adm. Scott Van Buskirk, chief of naval personnel, said the Navy was aware that the uniform was not fire-retardant because there was no requirement for it.
But the test also spurred sharp criticism that the material poses a severe risk, and Navy leaders pledged to do a new review of its requirements and the uniform.
Dianna Cahn, 757-222-5846, dianna.cahn@pilotonline.com
Posted to: Military Login or register to post comments
By Dianna Cahn
The Virginian-Pilot
© January 12, 2013
NORFOLK
The Navy released details Friday of how it will review its working uniform after a test showed the fabric to be extremely flammable.
Navy working groups will look at all specialty uniforms worn by sailors and then determine whether the requirements for the regular working uniform need to change, the admiral in charge said Friday.
Adm. Bill Gortney, commander of U.S. Fleet Forces, commissioned the two working groups in close coordination with the Pacific Fleet commander, Adm. Cecil Haney, following the release of the test results in mid-December.
The tests showed that the uniform was quickly consumed by flames when exposed and that its nylon fibers melt onto skin.
One group will examine all organizational uniforms, like those worn by sailors on the flight deck or in engineering spaces, to help determine whether flame-resistant organizational clothing should be limited to specialized jobs, Gortney said.
Using that information, the second working group will determine whether all uniforms worn at sea should be flame-resistant.
"We intend to use these working groups to inform a deliberative review process," Gortney said in a news release. "We will determine the level of protection our sailors need, given the missions and tasks we expect them to execute."
Gortney said he hoped to have the groups' findings in a matter of weeks.
There has not been a Navy requirement for all hands to wear flame-resistant uniforms at sea since 1996, when the Navy changed its rules. It introduced the current working uniforms a few years ago, based on demand for an easy-to-care-for, nonwrinkling uniform that would hold up well to the demands of living at sea.
When the test results were revealed, admirals, including Gortney and Vice Adm. Scott Van Buskirk, chief of naval personnel, said the Navy was aware that the uniform was not fire-retardant because there was no requirement for it.
But the test also spurred sharp criticism that the material poses a severe risk, and Navy leaders pledged to do a new review of its requirements and the uniform.
Dianna Cahn, 757-222-5846, dianna.cahn@pilotonline.com
