Vitals Vest

Reported February 2008

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Firefighting is a dangerous job, but the biggest risk doesn't come from the fire, smoke, or chemicals. Half of all firefighters who die in the line of duty suffer fatal heart attacks. Now, researchers are testing special gear that someday may alert others if a fellow firefighter is in trouble.

They risk their lives … to save lives. But there's an invisible threat that puts them most at risk.

"Contrary to popular belief, firemen don't get burned, blown up or fall into holes. They die of heart attacks," Dave Hostler, Director of the Emergency Responder Human Performance Lab at the University of Pittsburgh, told Ivanhoe.

Firefighting is a physically demanding job. A firefighter may force his body to work at ninety-percent of its maximum heart rate for up to twenty minutes -- that's anywhere from 160 to 180 beats a minute.

"To somebody who is not in good shape, 160, 170 is a terrible stress," Hostler told Ivanhoe.

This specially designed vest has five built-in sensors that track vital signs. Inside the National Personal Protective Laboratory, researchers who study human performance want to know if this flexible undergarment called a lifeshirt takes accurate readings. How well does it track a firefighters body temperature, heart rate, and breathing?

Researchers put a volunteer through the paces wearing full firefighter gear. They monitor the signals from the sensors in his vest and compare them with measurements taken by the lab equipment.

"The signals would be sent back to a central command stations," Ron Shaffer, Director of the Research Branch of the National Personal Protective Laboratory, told Ivanhoe.

A firefighter with a dangerously high heart rate could be pulled out of a fire. It's technology that could someday save the life of someone who works to save lives.

The American Industrial Hygiene Association contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.

Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:

Fred Blosser, Public Affairs
National Personal Protective Laboratory
(202) 260-8519
fbb0@cdc.gov

American Industrial Hygiene Association
Melissa Hurley
(703) 846-0740
mhurley@aiha.org

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