14- year- old Chase Lewis invents smoke mask delivery system to save lives of fire victims trapped in second-story floors.
WASHINGTON, DC – June 17, 2014 – In the case of one student, the proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child,” can be happily seen in action. The Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and North Chatham Fire Departments all offered helping hands in boosting the success of a local teen’s smoke mask delivery system invention. Wearing full protective fire-fighting gear, they tested out the three prototype projectiles developed by 14-year-old Chase Lewis, tossing them through a simulated window to compare for speed and accuracy. In the end, it was the football-shaped canister that took the prize.
The Judges of the Smithsonian-Cricket Media Global Kids Invention Challenge agreed, awarding Lewis Top Winner recognition and the coveted prize of a patent filing in his name for the life-saving device.