Researchers from North Carolina State University recently conducted a study, with findings revealing that four new shelter designs could increase the survival chances for firefighters.
For the study, the researchers tested the new designs in a test chamber, and then proceeded to test them against the industry standard. As part of the test, they studied how long it took the floor temperature of the shelters to reach a temperature of 302℉ (the temperature threshold for survival), as well as looking at how long it took for the inner layers of the shelter to break open.
Their findings were encouraging. The four new survival shelters showed improved survival metrics. Industry standard shelters reached the survival threshold in less than 40 seconds, however, the new shelters boasted impressive stats, with researchers finding that the temperature was nowhere near the threshold after 60 seconds. All of the newly designed shelters also took longer to break open.
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“While there’s no such thing as ‘fire-proof,’ what we’re trying to do is to buy more time. We were able to demonstrate our shelters could increase the time to failure – time that could be critical for survival.” study co-author Roger Barker stated.
The researchers hope that companies can reproduce the same results when it comes to manufacturing their products, and in turn they could even help to potentially save lives.