FDI has recently completed successful testing of the Portable Arctic Water System (PAWS) at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory (MCL) located on Eglin Air Force Base.
The Soldier Medical Devices Project Management Office’s advanced development team from USAMMDA coordinated with MCL test engineers to conduct rigorous environmental tests on various tent shelters and devices (including the PAWS), utilizing MCL’s expansive environmental testing chamber—the largest in the world—which can replicate severe weather conditions such as sub-zero temperatures down to -80°F, heavy rainfall, and sandstorms with winds up to 60 knots. The results of the PAWS testing included passing a Cold Start Test at -40F and a 1-Hour Power Loss Test at -60F.
The PAWS, developed and produced by FDI, is an automated, transportable unit that provides potable water and is built to function reliably in mobile medical facilities under harsh arctic conditions, enduring temperature drops to as low as -65°F.
In addition to producing the PAWS, FDI is the provider of the Army’s Water Distribution and Wastewater Management System for Field Hospitals.
For further information regarding the tests conducted at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory