13 Oct Wearable Technology in Fire Safety
PPE has evolved throughout the years, from simple gas masks to full-on tanks of oxygen. But there are a number of wearable technologies now which protect and preserve the life of Fire and safety professionals, whilst making their role easier during a fire scenario.
Headlamp
Adorned on the helmet of every safety officer is an often underappreciated tool, a headlamp, able to beam through darkness and smoke alike, showing a path for all involved through difficult terrain. Whether it’s helping spelunkers lost in a dank cave, or navigating trecherous environments, headlamps are necessary for fire officials to carry out tasks in often dark environments, with their battery power being consistently checked at stations and before operations begin.
Visibility vests
Visibility vests take minimal lighting and reflect it to an intense degree, meaning that in any operation involving cars, or moving objects of any note, fire officers are kept safe whilst in a mission area. With embers in the air and smoke obscuring view, visibility vests can prove lifesaving, regularly, these are built into fireproof suits worn by fire officers, however, when this is not the case, safety professionals are urged to wear individual vests separate from the whole of the suit.
Breathing Apparatus
Finally, the wearable mechanism which has evolved the most, adapting to the times, is that of the breathing apparatus. Once, this was gas masks, then, large nozzles in gas tanks, now a suit itself can be entirely air-tight, with its own circulation, ensuring maximum airflow and allowing a fire official to carry out their operation unharmed whilst in the line of duty.