Super Thermal teams up with Colorado State for DHS grant
Team hopes for a $1 million grant for further development of cooling and breathing apparatus; system designed with biological and chemical emergencies in mind; cryogenic air a key component
Developing lighter and safer apparati for firefighters and other first reponders remains a considerable technological challenge, but there are a few firms daring enough to try. The key is to balance mobility and operational effectiveness against protective requirements — not an easy task, even with the most advanced textiles and rubbers.
One company hoping to make its mark in this area is Super Thermal Systems Management Group (STS), which has teamed up with engineers at Colorado State University (CSU) to submit to DHS a proposal for a breathing and cooling system ideal for chemical and biological attacks. If eventually awarded, the $1 million grant being applied for would come under the Fire Prevention & Safety Research and Development section of the Firefighters Grant Program. CSU engineering would conduct the research while STS would provide the development and manufacturing capability.
The system proposed by STS and CSU is based on STS’s Super Critical Air Mobility Pack (SCAMP). Developed originally under a NASA Kennedy Space Center Small Business Innovation Research contract, the SCAMP uses cryogenic air (-300°F) to provide both breathing air and body cooling for the users. The hope is to augment it with other state-of-the-art and advanced technologies to extend both the breathing lifetime of the system and the cooling capabilities.
Business note: Fifty percent of STS is held by Escondido, California-based Asgard Holdings
