Statewide Iowa — (RI) — Researchers at Iowa State University are working to develop a glove to better protect firefighters from extreme heat while also allowing their fingers to remain agile.
Professor Guowen Song, who runs ISU’s Labs for Functional Textiles and Protective Clothing, says many first responders use gloves made with a thick, bulky material that protects the hand but limits comfort and dexterity.
Thanks to a one-point-five million dollar grant from the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Song’s team on the Ames campus is working to improve the safety and function of heat-protection gloves.
Studies find the gloves now being used by many firefighters cause them to lose more than 50-percent of their manual dexterity.
A better, safer glove is just the beginning. In the next stage, Song says ISU researchers want to apply what they learn to other types of protective first responders’ gear, including boots and helmets.
Photo: ISU Professor Guowen Song – Photo courtesy Iowa State University
