BioSA recently hosted Fire Chief Chris Nearing and deputy chief Ryan Best from Markham Fire and Emergency Services, along with Prof. Asgari, for a live demonstration of a wireless wearable sensing device designed specifically for firefighting applications.
BioSA recently hosted Fire Chief Chris and Fire Chief Dupuy from Markham Fire and Emergency Services, along with Prof. Asgari, for a live demonstration of a groundbreaking wireless wearable sensing device designed specifically for firefighting applications.
Beyond the visible flames, modern firefighters face an invisible, lingering enemy: Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). These toxic contaminants are released during fires and slowly cause severe, long-term health issues over time. Currently, emergency responders lack effective, real-time measures to detect and fully remove these hazardous compounds from their environment and gear.
To combat this, the BioSA team has developed a ruggedized, small-scale mass-capacitor biosensor optimized for active fireground deployment. The compact device can be worn directly by the firefighter or mounted within a fire truck to continuously capture and analyze airborne PAH content.
Crucially, this technology introduces a new era of decontamination assessment. The sensor evaluates exactly how effective current decontamination processes are—whether it is an on-scene water wash or a post-incident shower—by measuring how much PAH has off-gassed and how much toxic residue remains.
Beyond environmental toxins, the wearable system also monitors the internal toll of the job. The device features a specialized sensor that measures overall stress levels by analyzing the firefighter's sweat. Because prolonged physiological stress can cause severe, long-term damage to nearly every major system in the body and trigger intense anxiety, this real-time monitoring allows command teams to intervene and reduce a firefighter's burden before it becomes critical.
Professor Ebrahim Ghafar-Zadeh introduced the technology during the demonstration, highlighting its potential to fundamentally improve first responder safety.
"Our goal is to create a device that provides a system to wash and protect our first responders from the invisible enemy they cannot see," said Prof. Ghafar-Zadeh.
The demonstration sparked valuable discussions between the researchers and the fire service professionals. The Markham Fire Chiefs expressed strong optimism, noting they were very happy with the progress the BioSA team has made in translating laboratory research into practical, life-saving tools.
Looking ahead, the next phase of the project involves active field testing with firefighters. By examining the technology directly on the front lines and comparing it against current baseline methods, the BioSA team aims to ensure the final system perfectly aligns with the urgent needs of emergency responders.
For more information about this research, please contact us at info@biosa-lab.ca.
