The material was invented by NASA in the early sixties of the last century for space missions. Rescue blankets are now an integral part of every first aid kit and at just 60 grams are real universal talents.
The rescue blanket is essentially a very thin, tear-resistant, transparent and waterproof polyester film coated with a metallic reflective agent (aluminium). This allows up to 97 per cent of the radiated heat to be reflected, which is essential for targeted heat retention. As a professional rescue in the mountains takes considerably longer than a road-based rescue service in the city, the correct use of the rescue blanket should be a core competence of every sportsperson.
The various mountain rescue services in the Alps have long since recognised the wide range of applications for the rescue blanket. We want to present this here in a small and brief, but not exhaustive overview as well:
Effective heat retention plays a particularly important role when it comes to the risks of outdoor sports. In many cases, heat retention is of great importance - not least because of the "comfort aspect", as a freezing person needs more oxygen and blood clotting, for example, works less well in the cold. The rescue blanket protects against heat loss, on the one hand because heat transfer (thermal convection) and evaporation cooling (evaporation) are reduced and on the other hand because the heat radiation emitted by the body is reflected back.
