A new protective shirt geared to the needs of wildland firefighters has been developed by University of Alberta researchers. 

The prototype garment offers more protection than the current version commonly worn by workers who fight wildfires, says Elena Kosareva, who designed the shirt to earn a PhD in textile and apparel science from the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences. 

"It's been a long time since there was improvement in this design," she says, noting a 24-year-old study conducted at the U of A on garments worn by wildland firefighters in the U.S. Forest Service, which showed that certain areas of the body needed more protection than was being provided.

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