From www.cleveland.com:
By Karen Farkas
Cleveland (OH) –Case Western Reserve UniversityandNASA Glenn Research Centerresearchers will work with firefighters from Cleveland and elsewhere to design and test sensors to protect firefighters from respiratory damage and illnesses.
The group was awarded a $1.5 million Assistance to Firefighters/Fire Prevention and Safety Grant from the Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency to make prototypes.
The sensors will alert firefighters who battle fires in structures and in the wild of hazards in the air after they’ve entered the phase called “fire overhauling or mop up.”
At that stage, the main fire in buildings, forests or open land has been extinguished and firefighters are cleaning up and detecting and preventing secondary fires.
Firefighters often remove their self-contained breathing apparatus at that time, based on readings from their carbon monoxide detectors. But recent studies found firefighters may be exposing themselves to particulates and toxins that could cause respiratory problems, CWRU said.
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