The Safeguard HAWK™ Warming Grid is the only field-deployable active warming module designed to scale heat output to the actual length of casualty care. Eight individually-sealed warming cells. Adjustable 100°F–115°F. On/off capability per cell. Up to 32 cell-hours of directional heat in a packed footprint smaller than a paperback.
Most thermal modules in pre-hospital trauma care are single-shot — activate once, get 8 to 12 hours, discard. The HAWK is different: each of the eight cells activates on contact with oxygen, runs for four hours, and shuts off when re-sealed. That lets the provider sequence heat over a 24-plus-hour casualty timeline. For prolonged casualty care, it's the difference between symptomatic warmth and actual hypothermia management.
Key Specifications
- ✓ 8 individually-sealed warming cells, ~4 hours per cell · up to 32 cell-hours sequential
- ✓ Adjustable output temperature: 100°F (37.8°C) minimum to 115°F (46.1°C) maximum
- ✓ Air-activated — exposure to oxygen initiates exothermic reaction
- ✓ On/off capability per cell — re-sealing halts the reaction, extending grid life
- ✓ Directional heat output — proprietary membrane admits air but not liquid, transferring heat toward the casualty
- ✓ Absorbent pad backing for safe direct-contact application
- ✓ Vacuum-sealed packaging · packed dimensions approximately 8" × 5" × 1.5" · weight approximately 10 oz
- ✓ Berry Amendment compliant · Made in USA · NSN listed for federal procurement
- ✓ HSA/FSA eligible medical device
Why the 8-Cell Architecture Matters
Pre-hospital hypothermia management is a time problem, not just a temperature problem. A single-shot chemical pad answers "what's the patient's temperature right now" — it does not answer "how long will this patient be exposed before definitive care." For mass-casualty events, denied-evac scenarios, austere environments, and prolonged casualty care under JTS PCC doctrine, the question of duration is the question that matters.
The HAWK's eight independent cells solve for duration. A provider activates two or three cells to handle the immediate cold stress response. As those cells cool, the remaining cells are activated. Cells that are no longer needed get re-sealed and shut off. Over a 24-hour casualty timeline, the same single device can deliver staged active warming that no fixed-duration pad can replicate.
FAQ
How long does the HAWK Warming Grid produce heat?
Each of the eight cells produces approximately four hours of constant heat once activated. Cells can be activated sequentially, providing up to 32 total cell-hours of warming. This duration scales to the actual length of prolonged casualty care.
How is the temperature controlled?
The HAWK uses an air-activation mechanism — exposure to oxygen initiates the exothermic chemical reaction inside each cell. Output temperature ranges from 100°F (37.8°C) at minimum to 115°F (46.1°C) at maximum and is regulated by the proprietary cell membrane that admits oxygen but not liquid.
Can a HAWK cell be turned off mid-use?
Yes. The HAWK's most distinctive feature among air-activated thermal devices is its on/off capability — re-sealing a cell halts the exothermic reaction. This preserves cell life for extended care timelines, unlike single-shot chemical pads that are exhausted once activated.
Is the HAWK a replacement for a thermal blanket?
No. The HAWK is the active warming component. For complete hypothermia management per CoTCCC and JTS PCC doctrine, the HAWK should be paired with a passive thermal barrier. Recommended pairing: TacMed™ Helios System (Standard) for the two-piece quick-access casualty wrap.
Is the HAWK appropriate for civilian use outside of trauma?
Yes. While doctrinally designed for trauma hypothermia management, the HAWK is appropriate for any prolonged-care cold-weather scenario — wilderness rescue, ski patrol response, vehicle breakdown survival, hunting incidents, expedition emergency response, and cold-weather industrial applications.
What does Berry Amendment compliant mean?
Berry Amendment compliance means the product meets U.S. Department of Defense requirements that specified end items be wholly manufactured in the United States from domestically sourced materials. This qualifies the HAWK for federal procurement contracts and is a meaningful credential for military and federal LE buyers.
Is the HAWK HSA/FSA eligible?
Yes. The HAWK qualifies as a Health Savings Account / Flexible Spending Account-eligible medical device for emergency response equipment.
How does this compare to the NAR Ready-Heat blanket?
The NAR Ready-Heat is a single-shot 8-hour chemical warming blanket — a different category of product. The Ready-Heat is fixed-duration and not re-sealable; once activated, the entire blanket runs until exhausted. The HAWK is a modular active warming module designed to pair with a separate passive blanket and to scale active warming output via its 8-cell architecture. The two products serve different doctrinal use cases.
What is in the package?
Each unit ships as one vacuum-sealed 8-cell warming grid panel with absorbent pad backing. Case-of-10 configuration is available for institutional procurement, bulk fielding, and clinical preparedness programs.
Evidence & Training Rationale
The Lethal Triad. Hypothermia is one of the three corners of the lethal triad — acidosis, hypothermia, and coagulopathy — and is independently associated with worse trauma outcomes and higher mortality. Even mild hypothermia (core temperature below 36°C / 96.8°F) significantly impairs platelet function and the coagulation cascade. In a trauma casualty with active hemorrhage, the failure to manage hypothermia early can render hemostatic interventions less effective.
CoTCCC and JTS PCC Doctrine. Tactical Combat Casualty Care guidelines and the Joint Trauma System's Prolonged Casualty Care Clinical Practice Guideline both require that the casualty be insulated from the ground, wrapped in a heat-retentive thermal barrier, and provided with active warming. The HAWK is the active warming layer in that doctrinal stack — not a replacement for the insulation layer, but the targeted heat source designed to be added beneath or against a thermal wrap.
Active Warming Evidence. A 2011 randomized clinical trial published in the Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine (Lundgren et al.) compared passive warming alone to passive warming plus chemical active warming in pre-hospital trauma transport. The addition of active warming produced statistically significant decreases in heart rate and respiratory frequency in mildly hypothermic trauma patients — clinical evidence that active warming meaningfully reduces the cold-induced stress response beyond passive coverage alone.
The Duration Problem. Most pre-hospital active warming products are designed around a single 8 to 12-hour use cycle, which fits the typical urban EMS transport window. Doctrinal prolonged casualty care contemplates 24-plus-hour timelines. The HAWK's 8-cell architecture is the only commercially available pre-hospital warming module that extends active warming capability to that duration in a single device.
Heat Direction. Heat transfer in a hypothermic casualty is a function of both heat input and heat loss. The HAWK's directional membrane addresses the inverse problem — heat lost to ambient air on the wrong side of the pad. By directing heat output toward the patient and blocking reverse loss, the device concentrates the cellular thermal output where it does clinical work.
Comparison Matrix
vs. NAR Ready-Heat Blanket (Reinforced HRS pairing): Ready-Heat delivers single-shot 8-hour warming integrated into a full-body blanket. The HAWK delivers up to 32 cell-hours at approximately one-third the weight, with adjustable temperature and on/off capability, but requires a separate thermal wrap pairing. Different doctrinal use case.
vs. TacMed™ Medi-Heat (paired with Helios System Active Warming variant): Medi-Heat is a 12-hour single chemical pad. HAWK delivers approximately 2.5× the active warming duration with cell-level activation control and adjustable temperature output.
vs. Generic Chemical Hand Warmers: Hand warmers are not FDA-listed medical devices and offer no temperature regulation or directional output. The HAWK is medical-grade, temperature-controlled, directional, and Berry Amendment compliant. Not the same product category despite surface similarity.
vs. Forced-Air Warming Systems (in-hospital Bair Hugger-equivalent): Hospital-grade forced-air systems require electrical power, ambient temperature sensors, and stable platform. They are not field-deployable. The HAWK is the pre-hospital and austere-environment counterpart designed for environments where power and infrastructure are not present.
Use Cases
- Active warming layer in any HOBAG, IFAK, vehicle kit, or range kit operating in cold environments
- Prolonged casualty care thermal management when paired with TacMed™ Helios System or equivalent passive thermal barrier
- Wilderness rescue, ski patrol, search-and-rescue cold-weather operations
- Hunting, expedition, and remote outdoor incidents in northern climates
- Pre-hospital EMS response in cold-weather jurisdictions
- Military and federal LE cold-weather operations under Berry Amendment procurement
- Industrial / maritime / offshore cold-weather emergency response programs
Recommended Pairing
The HAWK is a heat source, not a barrier. For complete hypothermia management, pair the HAWK with the TacMed™ Helios System (Standard, MEDTAC0413). The Helios delivers the two-piece quick-access passive casualty wrap; the HAWK delivers the targeted, adjustable, directional active warming. Combined, the two-device system provides the doctrine-required passive insulation plus sustained active heat in a backpack-deployable footprint that single-component systems cannot match.
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Available Options:
- 1
- 10
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 0.9lb |
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Order Processing & Tracking
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30-Day Returns & Medical Safety
Returns: Unused, unopened equipment in original manufacturer packaging is eligible for return within 30 days of delivery.
Bio-Safety Notice: To ensure sterility and patient safety, medical consumables with opened or broken tamper-evident seals cannot be returned.
Return Facility: MED-TAC International Corp., 15757 Pines Blvd, Suite 154, Pembroke Pines, FL 33027.
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