Positive pressure air supply system for wildland firefighter helmets

The size and severity of wildfires worldwide have increased since the 1980s. In the USA alone, over 66,000 wildland fires occurred during 2022. Thousands of firefighters were employed to control these fires. The occupational health and safety risks associated with wildland firefighting are significant and numerous. The most common are physical injury, exposure to smoke and heat stress. A prototype helmet ventilation system was developed that can reduce such exposures. The system uses multiple air ducts channeling filtered air into the firefighter’s helmet while also directing the air over the firefighter’s breathing zone. The two air supply systems can be operated independently of each other. The system is designed to provide a comfortable, discreet, and simple solution for reducing occupational exposure to smoke while also reducing the heat stress experienced by the wildland firefighters.