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Monitor real-time physiological data to protect your team in extreme environments.
Heat-related illness is a disturbing reality for workers in emergency services. Fire and rescue personnel are routinely exposed to extreme temperatures that can quickly lead to heat-stress and in severe cases, cardiac failure. The body struggles to adapt to the increased temperatures, heavy PPE-wear, and dehydration. This in turn leads to their core body temperature (CBT) becoming elevated and their cardiovascular system overstretched. It can result in the failure of multiple organs and, in severe cases, lead to death. This increases the risk of incidents, especially when working directly in the heat or with regular exposure to heat.
People working in emergency services like the police are often doing shift work, mandatory overtime and responding to critical incidents which are significant contributing factors of fatigue. Combined with high-stress and demanding environments it can become the perfect storm with severe implications on public safety and the force. Monitoring fatigue levels detect a lapse in energy, or an overwhelming need to sleep because of physical and mental exertion. This negatively impacts cognitive task performance, reaction times, concentration, memory, and judgement often increase the likelihood of an incident. Detecting when a worker is fatigued can be used to identify underlying causes and optimal times for performance.
Despite consumer wearable technology advancements in recent years, emergency services personnel require more rugged solutions for active monitoring in hazardous environments and with multiple risk factors on duty. This includes heat stress, fatigue, dehydration, hyperthermia, hypothermia, endurance, head impact and fitness for deployment. During trials conducted with a Fire and Rescue Service in the UK, based on a range of exercises during real fire and Compartment Fire Behaviour Training (CFBT), Bodytrak recorded data for CBT and heart rate in real time within extreme temperatures whilst firefighters battled a real fire in a training environment. The real-time analysis of heat stress markers via Bodytrak, including a comparison of multiple vital signs, provides an individualised and continuous assessment of heat stress and builds upon the existing health and safety practices for firefighters.
In training, the highest risk groups are new recruits and personnel in the late stages of their career. New recruits are often not acclimatised when starting a new programme. It’s a well-known fact that the body loses its efficiency to regulate the temperature and cardiovascular systems with age. Combined with the retirement age increasing, this will inevitably lead to more incidents if safety measures are not improved. In addition, trainers who are regularly exposed to extreme temperatures over time can suffer irreversible damage to their thermoregulatory systems.
Overexertion and stress accounts for 54% of deaths for US firefighters. With real-time automated alerts for key markers of heat stress, fatigue, and man down, coupled with horizontal and vertical location monitoring, Bodytrak enables intervention to prevent incidents and alert for rapid assistance. Personnel can be safeguarded through real-time alerts via our cloud-enabled dashboard or via SMS and email notifications.
The convenience of a non-intrusive ergonomic ear-based solution means it’s very easy to fit and remove. It combines key features for safety monitoring with hearing protection and is compatible with audio communications devices such as digital mobile radios. The communications module has a smaller footprint and is lighter than a regular smartphone and can conveniently be clipped to a belt or placed into a pocket.
Tracking temperatures no longer needs to be a one-size-fits-all approach, limited by universal methods such as wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT). Bodytrak enables different temperature thresholds to be set for each user on a personalised basis, using automated machine learning techniques. This helps to ensure intervention is only provided when necessary, and not too late.
Bodytrak is the centre point for digital health transformation across fire and police services because it gives evidence-based insights to optimise health and safety practice, improves resource management and reduces incidents. Automated reporting makes it easier to track KPIs, comply with administrative processes and report to health and safety and risk/audit committees.
After a long work day, it's not uncommon for a team member to forget they're wearing the Bodytrak device and they take it home. If this happens the team member should inform their relevant colleague and ensure the CommPack is placed on the charging device on their next shift. This will ensure the battery is returned to a full charge.
The CommPack has the ability to store over 100 hours of data if there's no connection to upload the data to the cloud. Once a connection is reestablished this data will be uploaded to the cloud.
The Bodytrak solutions focuses on capturing the following data;
Bodytrak captures real-time physiological data using in-ear sensors, analysed by machine learning (ML) on the device and in the cloud to provide critical insights. Due to its close proximity to the hypothalamus, the temperature control centre of the body, and since the eardrum receives its blood supply from the carotid artery, the ear is an excellent body site to measure core body temperature and heart rate accurately.
Heart rate data from Bodytrak shows a mean absolute error of 2.87 beats per minute compared to a control ECG device, and CBT data from Bodytrak shows a mean absolute error of 0.18°C compared to a gastro-intestinal pill at elevated temperatures. Our fatigue scores have been validated during trials where mental fatigue, physical fatigue or drowsiness was induced to ensure precise data. This is a strong indication of the effectiveness of our solution.
Designed with comfort in mind, when fitted correctly you should forget you're wearing the Earpiece, so it can be worn for long periods of time. The CommPack however, should last for approximately 8 -12 hours of continuous use before it needs to be recharged.
