Grant to improve firefighters and first responders’ protective gloves

Guowen Song an associate professor and the Norma Scott Lloyd Chair in Textiles and Clothing measures how the hand responds to heat. Song is leading a research team that is working to improve the safety and function of protective gloves worn by firefighters and first responders. Photo by Ryan Riley
The heat-protective gloves firefighters and first responders wear are thick, bulky and limit dexterity. That’s why a team of Iowa State University researchers is working to improve the safety and function of the gloves as part of the personal protective equipment system.

Guowen Song, an associate professor and the Noma Scott Lloyd Chair in Textiles and Clothing, recognizes the challenges existing protective gear create for firefighters and first responders. A $1.5 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency will allow Song and an interdisciplinary team of Iowa State University researchers to work on the safety and function of heat-protection gloves as part of the personal protective equipment system for firefighters and other first responders.
Read the complete News Service Release.