This paper describes the design process of a cognitive sensor network using wireless sensor nodes integrated in gloves for fire fighters. The gloves support protection functions for fire fighters during operations like temperature warnings and retreat messages. Warning decisions are processed on the glove based on sensor and communication data whereas haptic feedback to the fire fighter and hazard information are transmitted as reactions. Monitoring the cognitive network of several gloves will be done by the command post. Designing such cognitive networks cannot be done considering the technical part only. Because the glove is part of the protection equipment of the fire fighters, they have to trust it. Therefore adaptivity of both, the fire fighters and the glove sensor network is required. It will be shown, that using a particular design method with iterative process steps, the complexity of such a cognitive design is controllable.