One of the best ways to look at FR clothing is to look at the consequences of not wearing it. When normal clothing ignites victims generally suffer huge amounts of burning to large parts of their body. Those who survive then have the massive risk of infection again lowering the rate of survival and horrific scarring. While skin grafts and even stem cell treatments can be used to reduce or even remove scarring, for obvious reasons, this is a road you don't want to have to go down in the first place.
Comparatively, the same person wearing FR clothing could potentially walk away without a scratch! The benefit of FR clothing can really be that drastic because often the cause of ignition won't be present for an extended period of time. In the case of something like an arc flash; a violent electrical breakdown in which temperatures in excess of 20,000oC can be reached, the arc flash is only likely to be there for a split second. During that time though, molten metal can be sprayed out of it and very easily ignite the clothing of anybody standing nearby. An important note here is that when an arc flash occurs, it isn't just the person working who is at risk; it's everybody around them too, so safety equipment such as FR clothing is still important, even if you're just working nearby to something which may present a danger.
So when working in industrial environments, remember to wear FR clothing; it could save your life one day!
