By Alan M. Petrillo

The Wearable Advanced Sensor Platform (WASP™) system developed by Globe Manufacturing Company has undergone live fire testing at the Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI) and has furnished both Globe and the IFSI with important data that bring WASP to the brink of deployment among fire departments around the country.

Mark Mordecai, director of business development for Globe Manufacturing, says that WASP addresses two critical problem areas identified on the InterAgency Board’s (IAB) research and development priority list: emergency responder body-worn integrated electronics system development and 3D tracking of personnel.

1 Globe Manufacturing’s Wearable Advanced Sensor Platform (WASP™) system uses a flame-resistant, moisture-wicking base layer shirt that incoporates a Zeph BioHarness™. (Photo courtesy of Globe Manufacturing Inc.)

The System

WASP consists of three main elements: a flame-resistant, moisture-wicking, semifitted base layer shirt; a Zeph BioHarness™; and a belt-mounted location tracking unit. Mordecai notes that the base layer shirt incorporates the Zeph BioHarness and is comfortable for firefighters to wear continuously for a full 24-hour shift as well as durable to withstand normal firefighter activities and multiple washes. An embedded strap with a low-profile buckle closure contains electronic sensors and adjusts to allow the user to set it once for functionality and comfort and then unbuckle for easier donning and doffing.

The belt-mounted tracking unit, using technology provided by TRX Systems, permits ready integration with Android cell phones. A Windows-based command station receives data from live sessions or logged data from memory and provides tools to rapidly analyze user physiological response over time, in addition to showing user location and tracks. The physiological monitoring and indoor location are tracked at the same time by the system.

2 The belt-mounted tracking unit in the WASP system uses technology developed by TRX Systems. (Photo courtesy of Globe Manufacturing Inc.)

IFSI Tests

“Our goal is to first deliver WASP systems to training academies around the country to develop firefighting safety training where the academies use the system as part of their curriculum,” Mordecai says. “The first system shipped went to IFSI, one of the premier training centers in the United States and which has a federal grant to study a physiological monitoring and indoor tracking system.”

Mordecai notes that IFSI tested WASP in a phase of its project that looked at heat and particulate exposures of firefighters exposed to training fires. “They used different fuel loads and had multiple teams performing fire suppression,” he says, “and used WASP to measure heat flux, gas, and particulate exposures-especially those particulates that got onto firefighters’ turnout gear, their skin, and into their bloodstream.”

Gavin P. Horn, director of research at the IFSI, notes that IFSI is the statutory train

By Alan M. Petrillo

The Wearable Advanced Sensor Platform (WASP™) system developed by Globe Manufacturing Company has undergone live fire testing at the Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI) and has furnished both Globe and the IFSI with important data that bring WASP to the brink of deployment among fire departments around the country.

Mark Mordecai, director of business development for Globe Manufacturing, says that WASP addresses two critical problem areas identified on the InterAgency Board’s (IAB) research and development priority list: emergency responder body-worn integrated electronics system development and 3D tracking of personnel.

1 Globe Manufacturing’s Wearable Advanced Sensor Platform (WASP™) system uses a flame-resistant, moisture-wicking base layer shirt that incoporates a Zeph BioHarness™. (Photo courtesy of Globe Manufacturing Inc.)

The System

WASP consists of three main elements: a flame-resistant, moisture-wicking, semifitted base layer shirt; a Zeph BioHarness™; and a belt-mounted location tracking unit. Mordecai notes that the base layer shirt incorporates the Zeph BioHarness and is comfortable for firefighters to wear continuously for a full 24-hour shift as well as durable to withstand normal firefighter activities and multiple washes. An embedded strap with a low-profile buckle closure contains electronic sensors and adjusts to allow the user to set it once for functionality and comfort and then unbuckle for easier donning and doffing.

The belt-mounted tracking unit, using technology provided by TRX Systems, permits ready integration with Android cell phones. A Windows-based command station receives data from live sessions or logged data from memory and provides tools to rapidly analyze user physiological response over time, in addition to showing user location and tracks. The physiological monitoring and indoor location are tracked at the same time by the system.

2 The belt-mounted tracking unit in the WASP system uses technology developed by TRX Systems. (Photo courtesy of Globe Manufacturing Inc.)

IFSI Tests

“Our goal is to first deliver WASP systems to training academies around the country to develop firefighting safety training where the academies use the system as part of their curriculum,” Mordecai says. “The first system shipped went to IFSI, one of the premier training centers in the United States and which has a federal grant to study a physiological monitoring and indoor tracking system.”

Mordecai notes that IFSI tested WASP in a phase of its project that looked at heat and particulate exposures of firefighters exposed to training fires. “They used different fuel loads and had multiple teams performing fire suppression,” he says, “and used WASP to measure heat flux, gas, and particulate exposures-especially those particulates that got onto firefighters’ turnout gear, their skin, and into their bloodstream.”

Gavin P. Horn, director of research at the IFSI, notes that IFSI is the statutory train

Chris Mc Loone

Right before I sat down to write this, my kids were getting home from school, and I asked them to keep it down because I needed to write my editorial.

I jokingly said to them, “I don’t have any ideas yet. Any suggestions?” Almost in unison, Owen and Sean replied, “Make it about me.” But, Ian said, “Make it about us, Dad.” So, I gave them a courtesy chuckle and started back to my desk. But along the way, I suddenly thought, “That’s it!”

I was recently part of a discussion on the topic of training drills involving playing a game of dodgeball while wearing all personal protective equipment (PPE), including self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). We also touched on playing basketball in the same attire. You can check out the discussion here: http://bit.ly/2gR3Jy6. The crux of my position is that I think it’s a creative way to learn about how your PPE allows you to move and how quickly you heat up. But, I chose not to conduct such drills because of the research occurring about the physiological effects on your body from being encapsulated. I questioned whether or not there was more value to dodgeball than crawling around a burn building in terms of discovering how your body and your PPE “behave” under live fire conditions. Ultimately, I am in the minority on this, and I’m comfortable with that. I just don’t want to kill anybody.

Leading isn’t always easy, especially when the decisions you’re making aren’t popular even if they are made for the right reasons. As chief officers and safety officers, we are charged with being stewards of our crews’ safety. As such, decisions made in the name of protecting their safety are indeed making it about us and the right calls.

Making it about us goes beyond this, of course. As I write this, members of the Wilmington (DE) Fire Department are preparing to say goodbye to one their own who passed away as a result of injuries sustained at an intentionally set fire-the third line-of-duty death (LODD) resulting from the fire. As a fire service, we were also saddened to learn about the passing of a firefighter who took his own life. As a collective, we are struggling with increased numbers of heart-related LODDs as well as increased instances of cancer traceable to our jobs and the equipment we trust to protect us.

Making it about us is insisting on decon after a structure fire. It’s about zero tolerance for not washing turnout gear after a working job. It’s about driving under control so you, your officer, and your crew-and, in some cases, crews traveling to the same incident-make it to an incident and back. It’s about sitting on the right hand side and telling the driver to slow down. Making it about us is watching for the signs that someone might be considering taking his life. And, making it about us is having systems in place to help us deal with the fact that we can do everything right and sometimes tragedies still occur.

It’s not just on the fireground where we need to make it about us. When you are specing equipment or a fire apparatus, what decisions are you making for your crew? How many of the “nice to haves” are you going with in lieu of the “need to haves”?

We just came out of the holiday season, and within these pages we’ve seen predictions about the fire industry for 2017. January 1 is a “reboot” moment for many. This year, try to make everything you do about us. Do it for your partner on the line, for the crew you are leading,

Chris Mc Loone

Right before I sat down to write this, my kids were getting home from school, and I asked them to keep it down because I needed to write my editorial.

I jokingly said to them, “I don’t have any ideas yet. Any suggestions?” Almost in unison, Owen and Sean replied, “Make it about me.” But, Ian said, “Make it about us, Dad.” So, I gave them a courtesy chuckle and started back to my desk. But along the way, I suddenly thought, “That’s it!”

I was recently part of a discussion on the topic of training drills involving playing a game of dodgeball while wearing all personal protective equipment (PPE), including self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). We also touched on playing basketball in the same attire. You can check out the discussion here: http://bit.ly/2gR3Jy6. The crux of my position is that I think it’s a creative way to learn about how your PPE allows you to move and how quickly you heat up. But, I chose not to conduct such drills because of the research occurring about the physiological effects on your body from being encapsulated. I questioned whether or not there was more value to dodgeball than crawling around a burn building in terms of discovering how your body and your PPE “behave” under live fire conditions. Ultimately, I am in the minority on this, and I’m comfortable with that. I just don’t want to kill anybody.

Leading isn’t always easy, especially when the decisions you’re making aren’t popular even if they are made for the right reasons. As chief officers and safety officers, we are charged with being stewards of our crews’ safety. As such, decisions made in the name of protecting their safety are indeed making it about us and the right calls.

Making it about us goes beyond this, of course. As I write this, members of the Wilmington (DE) Fire Department are preparing to say goodbye to one their own who passed away as a result of injuries sustained at an intentionally set fire-the third line-of-duty death (LODD) resulting from the fire. As a fire service, we were also saddened to learn about the passing of a firefighter who took his own life. As a collective, we are struggling with increased numbers of heart-related LODDs as well as increased instances of cancer traceable to our jobs and the equipment we trust to protect us.

Making it about us is insisting on decon after a structure fire. It’s about zero tolerance for not washing turnout gear after a working job. It’s about driving under control so you, your officer, and your crew-and, in some cases, crews traveling to the same incident-make it to an incident and back. It’s about sitting on the right hand side and telling the driver to slow down. Making it about us is watching for the signs that someone might be considering taking his life. And, making it about us is having systems in place to help us deal with the fact that we can do everything right and sometimes tragedies still occur.

It’s not just on the fireground where we need to make it about us. When you are specing equipment or a fire apparatus, what decisions are you making for your crew? How many of the “nice to haves” are you going with in lieu of the “need to haves”?

We just came out of the holiday season, and within these pages we’ve seen predictions about the fire industry for 2017. January 1 is a “reboot” moment for many. This year, try to make everything you do about us. Do it for your partner on the line, for the crew you are leading,