The new protective suit for firefighters. (Photo/Beijing Daily)

China will soon equip firefighters with a new type of protective suit, which will be multifunctional, safe and comfortable. A reporter from Beijing Daily saw the newly developed suit in the Haidian firefighting division of Beijing on April 20.

According to an official with Beijing's fire department, advanced technologies from Chinese space suits are being applied to the design of the new firefighting suit. No wonder the new suit is so impressive!

The helmet, which resembles Iron Man's helmet, boasts various functions including a built-in phone, information collection and temperature monitoring. Under the face shield is a respirator, and the red triangle on top of the helmet functions as both a headlamp and camera. When the firefighter enters the scene of a fire, the helmet's information collection system transfers what the firefighter is seeing to the remote control station. 

The helmet is also equipped with an alarm. If the firefighter is still for 20 seconds, the helmet begins to flash red and blue lights and buzz loudly. Because the suit has a location function, backup firefighters are then able to find and rescue their endangered comrade. 

The new suit also has an automatic cooling system. A tester wore the suit in a high-temperature cabin for 30 minutes and still felt comfortable. In addition, the new suit can monitor the wearer's motion, pulse and other vital signs. As soon as it enters an extreme environment , the suit goes into action to protect and assist its wearer.