Grant to improve firefighters and first responders’ protective gloves

Faculty News Research News

10/31/2019

Guowen Song an associate professor and the Norma Scott Lloyd Chair in Textiles and Clothing measures how the hand responds to heat. Song is leading a research team that is working to improve the safety and function of protective gloves worn by firefighters and first responders. Photo by Ryan Riley

The heat-protective gloves firefighters and first responders wear are thick, bulky and limit dexterity. That’s why a team of Iowa State University researchers is working to improve the safety and function of the gloves as part of the personal protective equipment system.

From left, Warren Franke, James Lang, Ellen McKinney, Daniel Russell, and Chunhui Xiang are among the co-principle investigators on the multidisciplinary grant project. Not pictured are James Rossmanith, Lizhi Wang, and Xinwei Wang. The team includes researchers in functional textiles, human physiology, numerical simulation, industrial and garment design, performance evaluation, and fire service departments, as well as personal protective equipment manufacturers.

Guowen Song, an associate professor and the Noma Scott Lloyd Chair in Textiles and Clothing, recognizes the challenges existing protective gear create for firefighters and first responders. A $1.5 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency will allow Song and an interdisciplinary team of Iowa State University researchers to work on the safety and function of heat-protection gloves as part of the personal protective equipment system for firefighters and other first responders.

Read the complete News Service Release.

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