Salzburg Research: Sensors built into firefighter jacket

Salzburg Research and the University of Salzburg developed an intelligent firefighter jacket on behalf of the fire service supplier Texport GmbH. Sensors built into the jacket report impending overheating and immediately initiate countermeasures. The prototype has now been successfully tested in the fire simulation system under real conditions.

Firefighting operations are very demanding: high temperatures, heavy protective clothing, physical exertion, and psychological stress put an enormous burden on the emergency services. If it gets too hot in the suit, heat stress occurs when the core body temperature reaches around 38.5° Celsius. Those affected are more willing to take risks, more impulsive, may make wrong decisions, and overestimate their physical capabilities. In extreme cases, firefighters can collapse.

Salzburg Research worked with the University of Salzburg to find ways to automatically avoid heat stress. The first step was to identify the critical point at which firefighters are at risk of overheating. To do this, sensors were integrated into the jacket to measure sweat and humidity. In an initial laboratory study, 19 participants were subjected to physical stress tests in full gear. The optimal sensors and their placement were determined in order to reliably determine heat stress. The algorithm developed now recognizes the point at which it becomes too hot for firefighters.

A cooling system was then installed in the jacket lining to improve the vital parameters and well-being of the firefighters and increase the safety of operations. The innovative air cooling system sparingly uses the air that firefighters carry in an additional compressed air cylinder.

Prototypes of the fire jacket were tested in the summer under real conditions in the fire simulation system. Twelve firefighters completed a simulated fire mission with and without the cooling system. Sensor data and feedback confirmed the effectiveness of the system.

The research work was funded as a cross-state cooperation within the framework of the WISS2025 strategy of the state of Salzburg.