US female firefighter anthropometrics versus wildland firefighting protective clothing sizing standards

Female firefighters in the USA face increased risk of injury due to ill-fitting personal protective clothing. The purpose of this research was to assess the adequacy of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1977 sizing system for wildland female firefighters, using the first and largest female firefighter anthropometric database (<i>n</i> = 187) in the USA. Ten body measurements in the upper and lower torso garment sizing ranges were analyzed. Results of descriptive analyses and sample estimation highlighted varying degrees of discrepancies in the NFPA 1977 sizing system. Extreme cases were observed, such as the front rise length, for which only 4.3% (<i>n</i> = 8) of participants fell within the NFPA 1977 size range. Overall, findings suggest the NFPA 1977 standard remains insufficiently inclusive of the US female firefighter population based on the sample analysis. Improvements are necessary to improve firefighter performance and safety and to reduce the heightened risk of injury for female firefighters.