The National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) conducted an operational field assessment (OFA) to evaluate two enhanced rescue hoist glove prototypes. During the OFA, five responders from fire services and members of the uniformed services evaluated the prototypes during scenarios focused on the usability of the gloves in operational conditions replicating tasks associated with rescue missions.
Rescue hoist gloves protect responders’ hands during specialized helicopter hoist rescue operations. Existing gloves used by responders can degrade quickly due to friction from the cable and fragments of material from damaged gloves can get caught between strands of the hoist cable, shortening the useable life of the cable or hoist system. To improve the durability and performance of these gloves, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T's) Office of Mission Capability and Support sponsored the research and development of abrasion-resistant glove materials and alternative glove designs that were evaluated during NUSTL’s OFA. Findings from the assessment will allow the developers to make improvements before the enhanced hoist gloves become commercially available.
Read more in the Interactive Synopsis and download the full OFA Report.
Additional Resources
- Snapshot: Enhancing Hoist Rescue Gloves for Aerial Rescue (DHS S&T)
- Fact Sheet: Development of an Enhanced Performance Rescue Hoist Glove Fact Sheet
- News Release: Enhanced Rescue Hoist Glove Available for Responders (DHS S&T)
View Original "Enhancing Hoist Rescue Gloves for Aerial Rescue" video
For more information contact NUSTL@hq.dhs.gov