Using state of the art technology, a group of students at ITP (including Roxanna Hadad, Jon Santini, Michael O, and Andrew Milmoe) worked together to make the job of fighting fires both easier and safer. Elements of the project include wearable smart-fabric that monitors a fireman's pulse, breathing-rate, and temperature; positioning systems; and new helmets fitted with devices for communication, seeing through smoke, and finding victims trapped or unconscious in smoke filled rooms. The equipment will also transmit this information to a central base station (located on a fire-truck) where it can be recorded and monitored. Giving those outside the fire access to this information, chiefs can make smarter decisions about how to fight the fires and know just when their men need to be pulled from the burning buildings.

Research for this project included finding appropriate technologies that were able to stand up to the intense heat conditions that occur during a fire. From the smart fabric to the infrared cameras and special battery packs - we were able to design a fully working uniform that would provide safer conditions for the firemen while allowing greater overall access to information gathered during actual fires.