In 1994 alone fire fighting services in the United States experienced 104 fire related deaths. Twenty-eight of these deaths were directly related to smoke inhalation or carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. One of the causes of these fatalities may be the fire fighter having an inaccurate perception of his environment. Fires produce a variety of toxic gases, including carbon dioxide (CO2) and CO. This introduces a dangerous situation in the event of a malfunction or the depletion of the fire fighterâs self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). For these reasons, the development of a sensor system for monitoring CO2, CO, and O2 levels will enhance the safety and survivability of fire fighters. This system must be capable of tolerating the environment of a fire while still producing accurate results. Once the sensor data is acquired, it must be communicated to the fire fighters in a clear and understandable manner. Research must also be conducted to determine how long a fire fighter can remain in the environment. Data from the sensor array system will be used to provide the fire fighter with an accurate picture of their exposure and the duration of time, which they may safely remain in the environment. COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: The broad application of the remote hazard monitoring to the fire services, mining industry, and other high risk working environments accounts for a substantial market for this device. In the U.S. alone, there are over 33,000 separate fire departments, not counting U.S. government or military requirements. The absence of an available equivalent technology would ensure a significant market penetration in these communitie
