Thermal strainProject by Jérome Koral

Supervisor: Pr Thierry BUSSO

The Etincels² project in the LIBM was created to monitor and to limit thermal strain.

During their interventions in a confined environment, firefighters are exposed to very high temperatures which can cause extremely severe heat stress.

This situation generates not only a loss of performance but also serious risks for the health of professionals.

The actual protective clothing supplied are multi-layered systems that act as powerful thermal shield to protect against the heat.

Conversely, these shields work so well that firefighters are experiencing more and more heatstroke at the end of their intervention.

Indeed, they feel less heat from the outside than with their older leather equipment and then engage too long and / or too far into the fire.

We can explain these heatstrokes by the fact that, if these outfits protect them very well from fire, they do not allow them to properly regulate the temperature inside (pressure cooker effect), or to evacuate the heat.

Yet, firefighters can also be prone to skin burns from the vaporization of their sweat when the temperature inside their outfit rises too much.

The aim of the Etincels² project is therefore twofold:

1) Evaluate, thanks to various physiological parameters, a novel complete protection system centered on man,

2) Develop a system which prevent and alert firefighters of the risk of thermal strain thanks to sensors adapted to the measurement of physiological parameters, body temperature and humidity.