Miller Scientific Inc. — Department of Agriculture SBIR Phase I: 8.1

Description

Project SummaryTitle:Improved Fire Shelter for Wildland FirefightersPI:Steve MillerInstitution:Miller Scientific Inc. (MSI)Problem or Opportunity:Wildland firefighters work in difficult and dangerous conditions tosave lives structures and natural resources.In emergencies firefighters protect themselvesinside the M2002 fire shelter.This shelter weighs 4.4 lbs. and is carried below their pack whereit can be quickly accessed.From 2005 to 2020 fire shelters were deployed 202 times andsaved lives or prevented injury 90% of the time.The opportunity exists to further improve the fire shelter design so it works even more than 90%of the time.Recent advances in materials developed for NASA re-entry vehicles suggest that avery thin light layer of insulation could be added to increase protection.Project Objectives:MSI will demonstrate an improved fire shelter that increases habitabilitytime by 20% without increasing the weight or bulk of the M2002 fire shelter.The M2002provides approximately 55 seconds of protection in a simulated fire.MSI projects an increase to66 seconds.The weight of the added insulation will be offset by using a lighter weight outershell fabric and a 2-layer laminate on the floor in place of the 3-layer laminate now in use.Thechange in floor material is already known not to reduce fire shelter efficacy.Description of Effort:MSI's plan to demonstrate an improved fire shelter includes:1. Develop evaluate and downselect 3 thin insulation layer designs leveraging materialsand test methods developed for NASA's Hypersonic Inflatable AerodynamicDecelerators (HIAD) and2. Test and downselect one optimized fire shelter lay-up using the best thin insulationbetween current fire shelter fabrics and3. Fabricate 8 prototype fire shelters with the optimized outer shell lay-up and the 2-layerfloor4. Pack 3 fire shelters in the current M2002 case to confirm fit and weight5. Test 3 packed and 3 unpacked fire shelters in full scale fire shelter testsAnticipated Results:MSI will demonstrate an improved fire shelter.The weight bulk anddesign of the current M2002 will be maintained.Testing will confirm that the new shelter can bepacked and unpacked without damage and that the protection time is increased hopefully by atleast 20%.Commercial Applications:MSI's plans to commercialize the thin insulation layer to bedeveloped for fire shelters.The same material will also be sold to improve protective clothingand for aerospace applications.