Airotone Launches Respiratory Muscle Training Program with North Collier Fire Control and Rescue District

Program integrates respiratory muscle training into firefighter fitness, evaluating its impact on breathing performance, SCBA endurance & operational readiness

NAPLES, FL, UNITED STATES, September 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Airotone, a Naples-based respiratory care company, today announced the launch of a collaborative respiratory muscle training program with North Collier Fire Control and Rescue District (NCFR).

Airotone’s Respiratory Performance Management (RPM) Program, developed in conjunction with NCFR, integrates structured respiratory muscle training into NCFR’s existing health and fitness efforts for firefighter training. At the center of the program is the Airotone Trainer™, which exercises the muscles used in breathing through controlled resistance during inhalation and exhalation.

“Firefighters prepare for extraordinary physical demands, yet the muscles responsible for breathing have traditionally received far less attention in physical conditioning,” said Greg O’Keeffe, founder and president of Airotone. “Working alongside North Collier Fire gives us an opportunity to bring respiratory muscle training into one of the most demanding environments imaginable, while learning directly from firefighters how the program can best fit the real-world demands of the fire service.”

“Our first conversations with Airotone centered on firefighters who may already face respiratory challenges, but they quickly led to a larger question: How can we become more proactive about respiratory fitness?” said Dr. James J. Augustine, one of NCFR’s medical directors. “Firefighters routinely condition the cardiovascular and muscular systems required to perform their jobs. This program gives us an opportunity to evaluate how structured respiratory muscle training may complement that preparation in an operational fire department.”

Evaluating respiratory training in the fire service

NCFR began onboarding approximately 76 firefighters in August for a 16-week program using the Trainer, connected app, guided exercises and progress tracking. An 18-member cohort is also participating in a focused evaluation examining respiratory muscle training in relation to SCBA cylinder duration and other respiratory and performance measures.

“We train for strength. We train for endurance. We train on tactics and decision-making. Breathing is another critical component of our ability to perform under some of the most physically demanding conditions imaginable,” Fire Chief Eloy Ricardo said. “If we can better prepare our firefighters to manage their breathing and use their air more effectively, that is something worth evaluating. This program is about readiness, survivability and our responsibility to continually look for ways to better prepare and protect our people.”

Technology designed to provide feedback on breathing

The Airotone Trainer combines resistance-based respiratory muscle training with Airotone’s patented acoustic technology, which analyzes breath sounds to provide real-time feedback. The connected app guides training and tracks progress over time.

“North Collier Fire has been willing to look beyond the traditional approach to firefighter conditioning and ask what else we can do to prepare our people for the job,” Ricardo said. “Innovation does not mean adopting something simply because it is new. It means being willing to evaluate new ideas, measure results and determine whether they can make a meaningful difference for our firefighters.”

From development to fire-service application

Airotone worked with global healthcare manufacturing partner MGS to bring The Trainer from concept to a scalable, market-ready wellness product in just eight months. By bringing design, engineering, manufacturing, quality and regulatory expertise together early in development, the teams created an architecture designed to support scalability and future medical-device development.

The NCFR program represents an early fire-service application of Airotone’s respiratory muscle training technology, with results and operational feedback expected to inform future programs. Airotone plans to expand its work with fire departments nationally beginning in 2027.

About Airotone
Airotone develops digital respiratory therapy devices built on patented acoustic technology. Its platform delivers real-time feedback on respiratory training, inhaler support, and airway clearance for individuals, healthcare organizations, pharmacy programs, and workforce health initiatives. Airotone was founded in 2023 and is based in Naples, Florida. Visit www.airotone.com/ for more.

About North Collier Fire
North Collier Fire Control and Rescue District is an independent special fire district that responds to more than 27,000 calls for service each year throughout a 264-square-mile area of Collier County, Florida. The agency’s all-hazards response includes advanced life support (ALS) medical response by firefighters/EMTs and firefighters/Paramedics, as well as marine, dive, and ocean rescue, hazardous materials, technical rescue, and lifeguards. A five-member board of fire commissioners governs the District. Visit www.northcollierfire.com for more information.

NCFR Media Contact:
Heather Mazurkiewicz
hmazurkiewicz@northcollierfire.com

Hannah Richman
Airotone
+1 609-306-7730
email us here

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