Flame Resistant Fabrics

A flame resistant fabric? Cotton, wool, leather and almost all man made synthetics will burn. Worse, with substances like polyester, flame causes the fiber to melt, drip and fuse to the skin. It is bad enough to sustain a 2nd or 3rd degree burn. It’s an entirely different matter when a burn of this magnitude means the flesh must be cut away to rid the body of molten plastic before treatment can begin. In addition to the horrific cost in human life and discomfort caused by such a burn as this, estimates for after-care recovery and rehabilitation are set north of $200,000.

The history of attempts to manufacture flame resistant (FR) clothing is dominated by additives; by flame retardant substances layered on or soaked in atop a fiber known to burn like Atlanta in Gone With the Wind. Most are caustic. Some are suspected of fostering dreaded illnesses like cancer. None last.

The next generation of fabrics, our generation of fabrics available now, take an entirely different tack. We asked ourselves, "What if the fabric itself were composed of a weave that included fire resistant material… what if the fabric itself actually defeated fire?"

Modacrylic is the predominate fiber in DRIFIRE garments. First created in 1949, modacrylic has a proven, well-documented flame resistance (FR) pedigree and has been used is a wide variety of everyday products. Modacrylic does not combust. And not only are the fibers difficult to ignite, but they will self-extinguish. Technically speaking, modacrylic is a synthetic copolymer fiber. Practically speaking, for all the reasons noted here, our application of modacrylic in DRIFIRE garments results in extraordinary FR protection plus a wide range of additional benefits based on this fiber's outstanding overall properties.

In short, FR is built in to the product. Since 85% or more of the fabric is woven from modacrylic and modacrylic does not burn sustainably – nor will it drip, melt and fuse to the skin when exposed to flame or intense heat – this FR protection is permanent. In contrast to FR agents that are added in or layered on to combustible fabrics, DRIFIRE's FR feature is forever. It does not wash away or wear out. There are no caustic agents or dangerous chemical compounds in modacrylic, nor are any added to our garments before, during or after the process of garment manufacture.

Visit the Performance Stats section of this website for more detail information of how DRIFIRE performs under intense heat and flame. There you’ll see that DRIFIRE will not continue to burn when flame is removed. The fabric is cool to thetouch withi seconds after exposure to fire. It also retains its structrual integrity in areas of the fabric that have been charred. And, DRIFIRE gives the wearer three seconds to excape a flash fire before developing 2nd degree burns.

Also available for your review in the Performance Stats section is the result of a test conducted at North Carolina State University’s College of Textiles. The graphic shows that even after a 3.5 second flash fire that engulfs a person wearing only DRIFIRE silkweight next-to-skin garmets, significant burns were limited to areas of the body not protected by our technology.