This National Standard of Canada applies to the minimum requirements for performance of fireline workwear used for the protection against the adverse effects to the firefighter's body during wildland firefighting, or prescribed fire operations. It also provides guidance for the selection, use, maintenance and retirement of such workwear and for understanding its limitations.

This standard establishes performance requirements and test methods for evaluation of components used to construct workwear.

Workwear meeting this standard is intended to provide a degree of protection against the adverse effects of fire to the firefighter's body during wildland firefighting. For the purposes of this standard, "protective" does not mean that a wearer will suffer no burns if exposed to fire while wearing workwear meeting this standard. Protective garments may serve to reduce the severity of burn injury as a result of exposure to a wildfire but may not completely prevent an injury. Garments that continue to burn after a fire incident are hazardous. CAN/CGSB-155.22 was developed to minimize this hazard.

This standard refers to workwear that will be worn as the outermost garment.

This standard refers to single-layer or multi-layer protective garments that cover the body from the neckline to the wrists and ankles, and shall cover the neck when necessary.

The use of workwear for protection against the adverse effects of fire to the firefighter's body during wildland firefighting should be incorporated into an appropriate safety program that also utilizes appropriate administrative and engineering controls in addition to proper safe work procedures.

This standard does not apply to specialized protective clothing such as proximity suits, structural firefighters' protective clothing, workwear for protection against hydrocarbon flash fire and fire-entry clothing. It is not intended to establish requirements for protection from chemical, radiological, electrical, nuclear or biological hazards.

The testing and evaluation of a product against this standard may require the use of materials and/or equipment that could be hazardous. This standard does not purport to address all the safety aspects associated with its use. Anyone using this standard has the responsibility to consult the appropriate authorities and to establish appropriate health and safety practices in conjunction with any applicable regulatory requirements prior to its use.