Water is usually a firefighters' friend, but if it permeates inside their protective clothing it can quickly become a significant threat to their safety, increasing the risk of burn injury. Whether it originates from water spray or a build-up of perspiration, the presence of moisture on or within structural firefighting gear is a key factor in low energy heat transfer, or "steam burn" phenomena. That is why it is so important that firefighters operate with clothing that is waterproof from the outside while at the same time allowing moisture to escape from the inside of the garment. You cannot see it or touch it, but the moisture barrier inside every structural firefighting garment plays a critical role in the wearer's protection. It has to be incredibly durable to maintain performance without any degradation or loss of integrity throughout a punishing lifetime.
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