Dublin City University (DCU) researchers have teamed up with 22 other European partners in the ProeTEX project, which is developing 'second skin' sensors coupled to wireless links and GPS to improve monitoring of firefighters at emergency scenes.

In addition to location, the new technology will allow incident controllers to monitor a firefighter's physical condition and detect toxic threats. Firefighters will also be alerted if they are in danger. Sensors will be embedded into the boots and ppc.

Age of e-textiles
“Through this project we are developing technology based on the use of e-textiles with wearable sensors which can monitor for heart beat and breathing rate," says DCU researcher, Tanja Radu. Bio-sensors will also enable the continuous monitoring of firefighter sweat, stress and dehydration levels.

The sensors will detect the presence of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and other toxic gases. They are fairly compact and built into a protective casing slightly smaller than a credit card. Wireless technology will allow alerts and alarms to be delivered in a number of ways - to a watch or a mobile phone for example - as well as incident control.

The new gear is to be tested in real-life situations; the boots have passed the lab tests with flying colours. Researchers hope the  technology will be available soon after the end date of the research program in 2010.