CAS Helps Firefighters Breathe Easy

The breathing system that doesn't weigh you down.

Firefighters have one of the toughest jobs in the world. They battle towering infernos, rush headlong into burning buildings, and tame unpredictable wildfires. They even run a higher risk of cancer from all the soot they inhale, as if they didn't have enough occupational hazards already. Thankfully, Malin Grummas has a solution.

The CAS is a breathing apparatus that does away with bulky SCUBA tanks. In its place is a smaller tank of compressed air that only activates if the level of carbon monoxide rises to unsafe levels. Otherwise, the user breathes through an air filtration system that can sift out most carcinogenic particles.

Grummas designed the CAS as part of her post-graduate program with the Umeå Institute of Design. The 10 week project involved the help of her local fire department at the Umeå Municipality. It's meant to be used by the firefighters who work the periphery of the fire. Alas, the poor guys who run axe in hand into a building will still have to wear those goofy tanks.

[source: Malin Grummas via tuvie]