Treated inherently flame resistant polyester fabrics

The present invention relates to inherently flame resistant (FR) polyester fabrics and to a system for imparting soil, fluid, or microbial resistance properties to inherently flame resistant fabrics while substantially maintaining the flame resistant properties of the fabric. Inherently flame resistant polyester has been produced for applications where durable flame resistance is required. The flame resistance of the polyester is the result of incorporating an organic phosphorous compound into the polyethylene terephthalate chain during the fiber production process. A textile article having flame resistant properties includes a plurality of inherently flame resistant polyester fibers formed into a fabric, and a finish on the fabric including a cyclic phosphonate flame retardant. The finish imparts a property selected from the group consisting of: a molecularly bound antimicrobial agent which is an organosilane, a fluorochemical soil and fluid repellant, and the finished textile article has a flame resistance that passes the standard method NFPA 701-1996 edition testing protocol.