How to Make Sure Wildfire Shelters Save Firefighters' Lives

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July 26, 2022

Dear Reader, If flames cut off a group of woodland firefighters, they have a last resort: emergency shelters. When deployed, these shelters look like aluminum-coated coffins; when stored, they fold up to a packet the size of a loaf of bread. Keeping a shelter's interior temperature low can mean the difference between life and death. That's why researchers are constantly searching for new ways to improve the heat resistance of these emergency measures—and doing so means putting prototypes through a gauntlet of fiery tests.

Sophie Bushwick, Associate Editor, Technology

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