Physiologic Monitoring in Extreme Environments: Application of Micro-Sensors and Embedded Processors to Predict Heat Stress in Fire Fighters

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bogucki, Sandy ; Kolka M ; Lo R ; Pranger A ; Stachenfeld N ; Urias A ; Van Gelder, Carin ; Wiesmann WP ; Winchell RJ
• Description:
  Interior structural firefighting involves heavy physical exertion under extreme environmental conditions. Personal protective clothing and equipment impose 50 lbs of weight on fire fighters and impede the evaporative cooling mechanisms normally responsible for thermoregulation during exercise. The intense heat of the fire ground further exacerbates the physiological stress on working fire fighters. Occupational morbidity and mortality statistics reflect the impact of such stressors on fire service personnel. Non-invasive physiological monitoring capabilities are needed to more precisely define the cardiovascular responses to the demands of fire fighting and identify markers of impending failure of compensatory mechanisms prior to collapse or onset of irreversible pathology. A suite of sensors designed to provide continuous remote monitoring of fire fighters has been developed. Oximetry sensors are incorporated into SCBA facemask to allow unencumbered monitoring and analysis of cardiovascular and pulmonary function. The present report also describes a model system for physiological studies of fire fighting. This system comprises a series of timed simulations of fire ground tasks performed by fire fighters in a heated environmental chamber. Preliminary testing confirms the feasibility of reliable oximetry signal acquisition under fire ground conditions. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Emergency Responders Firefighters Fires Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Function Tests Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory System Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Sensors Breathing Emergency-responders Fire-fighters Fire-fighting-equipment Fire Fighting Monitoring-systems Oximetry Physiological-measurements Physiological-stress Physiological-testing Physiology Remote Physiologic Monitoring Respiratory-equipment Respiratory-function-tests Respiratory-protective-equipment

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• ISBN:
  9780819443540
• ISSN:
  0277-786X
• Publisher:
  International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  71-81
• Volume:
  4615
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20025643
• Citation:
  Proc SPIE - Biomedical Diagnostic, Guidance, and Surgical-Assist Systems IV, January 20-21, 2002, San Jose, California. Bellingham, WA: International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE), 2002 May; 4615:71-81
• Contact Point Address:
  BioAsyst, LLC, 12321 Middlebrook Road, Suite 150, Germantown, Maryland
• Editor(s):
  Vo-Dinh T; Benaron DA; Grundfest WS
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2002
• Performing Organization:
  Sekos, Inc., Germantown, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20000930
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of SPIE - Biomedical Diagnostic, Guidance, and Surgical-Assist Systems IV, January 20-21, 2002, San Jose, California
• End Date:
  20070930
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2c5b0d453e0db8c7756f03ea2975c9b39b5a4d771055009eb06848a0bdeef286df6b4e705d1f84d0ff558db0110bf147ad17bfa54fcfff39d1abc99990886b8f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/196922/cdc_196922_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 7.64 MB ]