Abstract: This study addresses the issues of insufficient high-temperature resistance and thermal protection in traditional aramid-based firefighting protective clothing. It investigates the design and preparation process of aramid/polyimide blended fabrics and their application performance in protective clothing for firefighting. Through the design of fabric composition and structure, a series of high-temperature resistant fabrics are prepared. The key protective properties, including mechanical properties, residual tensile strength, fire resistance, flame retardancy, thermal protective performance, are systematically evaluated, and protective clothing for firefighting with high-temperature resistance is also prototyped. The results show that the prepared high-temperature resistant fabrics retain a residual tensile strength of over 650 N after being subjected to heat treatment at 400 °C for 30 min. The time to break under butane flame exposure exceeds 43 s. The high-temperature resistance and fire resistance of the fabrics are significantly superior to those of aramid fabrics and even better than the two tested PBI fabrics. The prototyped high-temperature resistant protective clothing for firefighting combines light weight with high thermal protection, significantly enhancing the safety and comfort of firefighters during firefighting operations and providing technical support for the development of high-performance firefighting protective equipment.

Key words: protective clothing for firefighting, high-temperature resistant fabric, firefighters, thermal protective performance, residual tensile strength