Abstract: In order to study the characteristics of heat transfer within the clothing exposed to fire, the paper develops a numerical model of heat transfer in emergency rescue protective fabrics sheathing a cylinder simulating a human limb. The column inside the cylinder system simulating the human body is assumed to keep at a constant temperature of 37℃. This model has taken into consideration the protective clothing absorbing the radiant heat and the change of its properties resulting from it. Temperature distribution along the radial between the clothing and skin was calculated with the help of a finite difference, complete implicit scheme. Henriques’ skin burn equation is quoted to predict the time needed leading to a second-degree thermal burn based on the calculated temperature value. The results coincide with experimental values. The numerical model shows that the cylindrical geometry has a significant effect on the thermal protective performance of the intrinsical heat-flame resistant fabric of polymer nature. At the same time, the method also helps to establish a systematic way for analyzing heat transfer in other cylindrical applications.