In response to growing concerns over dermal exposure to fireground contaminants, protective hood manufacturers have introduced a variety of particulate-blocking hoods to the market over the past two to three years. These hoods can vary significantly between manufacturers, but their overall purpose and function are the same: to block smoke particles from reaching the skin on the firefighter's head and neck. Regardless of the manufacturer, this goal is achieved by one of two types of technologies. Between the inner and outer knit layers of the protective hood, particulate-blocking hoods have either a membrane-based layer similar in construction to the moisture barrier used in turnout jackets or a specialized flame-resistant nonwoven filtration layer that resembles the material used in an air filter.
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