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Categories: All CoolShirt News, Motorsports

cool-a-clava

New: Cool-A-Clava Comfort System for Helmets

COOLSHIRT SYSTEMS recently introduced the Cool-A-Clava: a patent-pending and first-of-its-kind cooling balaclava. The product made its debut in late 2015 at the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show.

An ideal and affordable solution for maintaining comfortable conditions around the head, the Cool-A-Clava inserts into almost any helmet and connects directly to one of COOLSHIRT’s engines. These systems circulate chilled liquid through the Cool-A-Clava to keep the wearer focused and at a safer body temperature.

Categories: All CoolShirt News, Motorsports

COOLSHIRT’s Partnership with the Trans-Am Series

In 2015, COOLSHIRT became the official driver cooling system for the SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series. While over 50,000 racers use COOLSHIRT SYSTEMS in a variety of motorsports competitions, we developed the partnership with the Trans-Am Series because it embodies everything that we’re about.

Trans-Am races are 100 miles in length. Since they don’t require mandatory pit stops, they’re driver-versus-driver sprints. Each event is about flat-out racing, where focus, quick-reaction timing, and performance are incredibly important. We’re excited to contribute to this competition.

As part of the relationship:

  • COOLSHIRT sponsors the “COOL Move of the Race” in each of the 12 events in the series.
  • Trans-Am selects the driver who made the race’s most impressive move, and COOLSHIRT rewards him or her with one of our top-rated garments. Typically, it’s our 2Cool FR shirt, which is SFI 3.3-certified flame-retardant.
  • Drivers can combine the garment with one of our cooling engines, such as the Pro Air & Water, which also sends blower-enhanced, HEPA-4 filtered air to the helmet.

Watch live broadcasts of Trans-Am Series races through CBS Sports Network, learn more about the series on its website, and explore more motorsports cooling products from COOLSHIRT.

Categories: All CoolShirt News, Motorsports

cindilux-helmet-l

Explore COOLSHIRT’s Tailor-Made System for Professional Driver Cindi Lux

Each motorsports driver has different needs, and fine-tuning everything related to competition, from shocks to tires, helps racers have more success on the track.

Ask Cindi Lux. An experienced driver and race team owner, Lux has garnered 12 road racing championships, more than 81 victories, over 156 podium finishes, and 52 pole positions. She’s also the highest starting and finishing driver in SCCA World Challenge GT history.

Most recently, Lux has been competing in the Trans Am Series (TA3), which pits American “gran turismo” cars like Corvettes and Vipers against exotics from across the world.

As accomplished as Lux is, she came to COOLSHIRT with a challenge. Intense temperatures and overheating were causing her fatigue and heat stress during races. She needed a cooling system designed for the way that she competed so that she could stay hydrated, alert, and comfortable behind the wheel.

Lux requested a system that:

  • Reduced heat around her shoulders and torso.
  • Lasted through the length of the race.
  • Would stand up to the high temperatures generated by her Dodge Viper ACR-X racecar.

Lux says, “Racing a Viper, I can experience cockpit temps up to 140 degrees! Trust me, it is extremely tough to focus during a long race if my body and brain are being cooked.”

COOLSHIRT met with Lux to plan a custom solution. We pinpointed where she felt cooling would be most beneficial, and then we worked with our design and sewing team to create a product that met these specifications.

COOLSHIRT used a Pro Air & Water system as the engine for Lux’s solution. It delivers blower-enhanced, HEPA-4 filtered air to her helmet, and it pumps temperature-controlled cooled water through her garment, which includes extra tubing in the heat zones. COOLSHIRT modified the engine with a larger pump to cool these areas more effectively.

Lux’s experience working with COOLSHIRT? “Talk about superior customer service,” she says. “More importantly, they love what they do and it shows. I have seen a huge increase in my ability to focus longer during a race, and my COOLSHIRT is like my helmet now. I don’t get into a racecar without it.”

See Cindi Lux’s website to learn more about her team and upcoming races. Interested in custom cooling systems and garments? Contact COOLSHIRT to discuss our solutions.

Categories: All CoolShirt News, Motorsports

shea holbrook

Helping Racers Stay Cool Behind the Wheel

In a sport that requires strength, fast reaction timing, and concentration under intense conditions and high temperatures, staying cool offers a competitive edge. That’s why COOLSHIRT partnered with Shea Holbrook, a six-race winner in the Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car class.

To the uninitiated, touring car racing is a motorsports competition between heavily modified, road-worthy cars. Imagine racing in a souped-up version of your Honda Accord, pushing the limit on straightaways and hairpin turns, and you’ll get a sense of what makes the sport special.

Holbrook is a nationally recognized driver whose 10 years of racing accomplishments include winning the Long Beach Grand Prix in 2011, making her the first woman to place first in a major Touring Car race at the venue. She’s also the owner of the Shea Racing team, which she founded with her father.

As a successful competitor and business leader, Holbrook has proven she has what it takes to stay cool under pressure. A partnership with COOLSHIRT has helped make that more than a metaphor.

“One thing we can keep constant to ensure driver focus is maintaining the right temperature in the cockpit,” Holbrook says. “That’s why we rely on COOLSHIRT SYSTEMS. They provide one very important element to our success and safety on the track.”

Holbrook’s team of cars uses COOLSHIRT’s body cooling club system, a compact active cooling engine ideal for drivers who have limited space or shorter race durations. For safety, drivers combine it with our 2Cool FR shirts, which are SFI 3.3-certified flame-retardant. The cooling engine circulates chilled liquid around the garment throughout staging and races, preventing dehydration and helping drivers focus on the course.

Visit Shea Holbrook’s website to learn more about her team and upcoming races, and find out about all of COOLSHIRT’S motorsports products.

Categories: All CoolShirt News, Industrial

MS Foundation

To a person who is medically intolerant to heat, a personal cooling system doesn’t just offer comfort. It provides mobility, independence, and greater opportunity in daily life.

Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a potentially disabling disease that affects the brain and central nervous system. Symptoms tend to worsen in hot conditions. As a result, many people with MS are restricted in their activities and must spend more time indoors.

That’s why COOLSHIRT joined in a relationship with the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, which provides comprehensive, free support to those who have MS. Through the partnership, COOLSHIRT offers products to improve mobility and cooling.

This includes:

Each of these systems allows the wearer to stay comfortable on-the-go and even in hot conditions. According to Steve Wakefield, Chief Financial Officer of COOLSHIRT, “By partnering with the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, COOLSHIRT hopes to help people maintain a safer body temperature and a better quality of life.”

Find out about the work of the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, and learn about COOLSHIRT’s products for heat intolerance.

Categories: All CoolShirt News, Industrial

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Because of the lengthy and physical demands of surgery, many operating rooms are cooled for surgeon comfort. However, unplanned hypothermia presents serious risks.

The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) notes, “When a large surface area must be exposed for the surgical procedure, forced air warming may not be sufficient. (…) the severity of hypothermia may be reduced by raising the room temperature to more than 23°C (73.4° F).”

While warm temperatures can protect from the risk of hypothermia, these conditions can cause doctors to…

  • Become overheated, reducing their efficiency in surgery.
  • Perspire, making it more difficult to handle instruments.
  • Lose focus during lengthy operations.

Doctors may already be familiar with cooling options like evaporating neck wraps, ice packs, and air-blowing systems. However, each has its drawbacks, such as limited duration, weight, and limited effectiveness.

Water transfers heat more than 20 times faster than air. That’s why COOLSHIRT’s garments integrate up to 60 feet of thin, non-kink tubing with cooling liquids. Our products promote the surgeon’s comfort even in environments approaching 95°F, and our premium systems are UL-graded for use in the operating room. Learn more about our medical cooling solutions.

 

Categories: All CoolShirt News, Industrial

uganda spine surgery mission

The Uganda Spine Surgery Mission improves the lives of men, women, and children facing severe spinal ailments. Recently, COOLSHIRT joined the effort, upgrading conditions for volunteer surgical teams in East Africa.

Each surgery that these volunteers perform gives new hope to people who might otherwise not receive proper medical care. However:

  • Procedures can last 7-10 hours and take place in very high temperatures.
  • Traditional cooling methods are not always available because of the lack of ice.
  • Older styles of cooling garments add weight as they lose effectiveness.

Dr. Paul Holman, a Mission volunteer and director of the Houston Methodist Spine Center, says, “One of the biggest issues we face is extreme OR temperatures that make fatigue a huge problem. Having an iceless unit there that only requires water would be a blessing beyond comprehension.”

COOLSHIRT responded, donating an entire iceless cooling system as well as garments and accessories to the effort. With this contribution, we hope to allow doctors to perform a higher number of surgeries so that they can help more people in need.

Learn more about the Uganda Spine Surgery Mission on its website, and explore products for your surgeons and operating room.

Categories: All CoolShirt News, Industrial
Safer Processes for Industry
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Preventing Worker Heat Stress in Manufacturing

Industrial processes can expose workers to extremely high temperatures. That’s why manufacturing businesses rely on COOLSHIRT to help protect their employees in some of the toughest job conditions.

One example is industrial furnace maintenance. These systems provide heat for manufacturing processes in the glass, steel, and refining sectors, among others. Furnace temperatures can reach over 2000°F.

That’s 1/5 the temperature of the sun.

Like every manufacturing resource, furnaces undergo wear-and-tear over time. However, inspecting and repairing systems requires focus and care in close proximity to very high temperatures. Full-body gear can protect furnace workers but can decrease air circulation and increase their risk of heat stress.

Another example: paper mills.

Paper mill facilities often have hot and humid conditions that range from 80°F to 120°F. Temperatures can get particularly high around the drying hoods, coaters, and drying cylinders and above the machinery.

As with furnace workers, paper mill employees need solutions that keep them at a safe core body temperature. They also require solutions that let them stay mobile.

Companies in both sectors rely on COOLSHIRT for these solutions. Our best-selling units include our mobile cooling waist pack and mobile cooling backpack. Each is an untethered system that pumps cooled liquid through tubed, full-torso garments. Unlike evaporative solutions and ice packs, these products are long-lasting and lightweight.

If employees in your manufacturing business work in high temperatures or are at risk for heat stress, we invite you to learn more about our solutions.

Categories: All CoolShirt News, Industrial
Aviation Industry Workers
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Cooling for Aviation Industry Workers

Aviation employees produce, assemble, and maintain the aircraft that support national defense and over 8.5 million U.S. commercial flights each year. From troop transports to weekend trips to Vegas, consumers rely on the quality of aviation work.

To safeguard this quality, companies are implementing new ways to keep employees focused and safe and to stay in compliance with federal workplace requirements. Solutions have to suit the worker’s conditions, which vary depending on the job. Consider:

  • Electricians who go inside of an aircraft’s confines to install equipment or make repairs.
  • Paint booth employees who wear heavy personal protective equipment.
  • Ground crews that prepare craft for takeoff from the tarmac or flight deck.

Each of these jobs requires attention and care. However, workers often face rising temperatures from the environment or equipment. This increases the risk of fatigue, dehydration, and heat stroke.

Aviation businesses turn to COOLSHIRT for solutions that are lightweight, fast, and effective enough to help workers without hindering their ability to do their job. We offer both…

Mobile solutions that go where workers go. Our mobile cooling backpack and waist pack units provide untethered, extended comfort to individual employees.

Cooling stations. Aviation companies situate our six-person systems in a company’s main hangar, at the airport, or in their other facilities. These systems give groups of employees a chance to cool down quickly to safer body temperatures.

If your business is involved in aviation or another area where performance is essential and worker safety is paramount, explore our cooling products for industry, or talk to COOLSHIRT about our solutions.

 

Categories: All CoolShirt News, Industrial

Powering Up and Cooling DownKeeping Energy Generation Workers Safe in Hot Conditions

A large-scale solar plant has the capacity to power over 150,000 individual homes. Creating the infrastructure to reap these benefits isn’t without its challenges, however, including protecting workers on the job site.

COOLSHIRT supports companies in solar energy, nuclear, oil and gas, and other areas of power generation with cooling products for workers in hot environments. Solar power businesses in particular have invested in our solutions because of the unique aspects of their facilities:

  • Solar sites such as the Mojave Desert can average 104°F in summer months.
  • Large solar power plants require sizeable tracts of land, which out of necessity may be located far from emergency medical services.
  • Facilities may employ hundreds of professionals for installation, oversite, and maintenance.

Solar companies and other power generation businesses keep employees safer—and comply with OSHA regulations—by helping workers stay cool in hot conditions. Measures such as pop-tents, water stations, and evaporative garments can offer some benefits. However, employers also want solutions that can quickly bring workers to a safe core temperature if they begin to overheat.

COOLSHIRT has responded by offering:

Our company continues to develop solutions based on discussions with customers. If your business has unique challenges in power generation, talk with COOLSHIRT, or explore more of our cooling products for industrial workers.