sensors can be reliably transduced and amplified without motion artifact regardless of the local sweating, incident trauma or other stress on the personnel. This must be accomplished while maintaining  both the integrity of    the

5   protective  material and the sensor  seals.

For example, a firefighter cannot be further encumbered by either significant weight or by extensive wiring or tethering. The sensors and supporting instrumentation need to be  able to withstand  environmental  conditions  ranging

10   from  subzero  to  blast  furnace  temperatures,  toxic atmo-

spheres and the inevitable physical battering. Beyond the physical restraints placed on the sensor system, the sensor system must also be able to react to extreme variability in vital parameter  values  that characterize  inpidual  physi-

15   ologic response  to extreme environmental  stress and exer-

tion. Furthermore, the sensor system must be able to provide useful real-time information for decision makers receiving the processed output from the  sensors.

Specifically, in a firefighting environment, fire ground is

20 a high hazard environment that requires constant vigilance by emergency responders. Personnel working in a fire scene

must be able to quickly identify and adapt to rapidly evolving threats. Any information from a physiologic or environmental monitoring system must be presented to such

25  inpidual firefighters in a clearly useful format while mini-

mizing non-essential distractions. A continuous numeric readout of oxygen saturation values, for instance, would pert a firefighter’s attention from his surroundings and pert  his  attention  away  from  more  urgent  fire ground

30   queues.  The  information  from  an  inpidual firefighter’s

entire sensor array must be returned to him in a format that simply indicates the ability of it’s safe to continue or it’s necessary to evacuate the hazard zone. While it is important that only this minimal critical level of data be presented   to

35  the firefighter, the amount of information necessary to return

this minimal level of data must be monitored on a continuing basis and analyzed over a significant period of time. Particularly, more specific information concerning physi- ologic parameters such as pulse rate, oxygen saturation,  or

40   carbon monoxide,  must be  available  to personnel keeping

track of larger numbers of workers in the hazardous   situa-

The prior art discloses apparatus that is directed to   indi-

45 vidual sensor problems but does not disclose apparatus that integrates  a sensor system  directed  at critical  physiologic

parameters with a position sensor system and apparatus for real time processing and display of the sensor data. For example, the prior art discloses general sensors mounted in

50 a self-contained breathing apparatus mask. This art does not disclose  specific  sensors  for  sensing  critical  parameters

monitored in hazardous environments. It also does not disclose any solution to the problem of processing the sensor information in real time. Other references disclose monitor-

55 ing systems for physiologic parameters that are not inte- grated into SCBA systems and that do not display different

information to various personnel.

OBJECTS  OF  THE  INVENTION

60 It is an object of this invention to monitor the physiologic status of personnel in stressful and hazardous environments.