StayCool – Firefighting for the 21st century

A major problem for fire fighters and others who have to work in extreme heat environments is that protective clothing is both heavy and prevents sweat evaporation. NW Texnet member [name?] helped design and develop the StayCool personal cooling system.

StayCool is lightweight and consumes little energy, and so can be worn for longer periods of time than other protective systems. It reduces sweat and stabilises the wearer’s core temperature by using an array of heat pipes to send an optimised flow of body heat to a biomimetic surface outside the garment, where it disperses to the atmosphere.

StayCool allows fire fighters to work for longer without fatigue or personal danger, and so improves fire-fighting efficiency. Fires can be extinguished more safely, with less risk to life and property.