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"Be prepared," means more than having a supply of emergency items on hand. What covers your body from head to toe can mean the difference between life and death in an emergency.
While no garment can totally seal off human flesh from destruction, new technologies and materials can provide a temporary shield against the effects of fire, chemicals, radiation and weapons.
Rothco wholesales a variety of emergency apparel, much of which is focused on protecting the wearer from the body fluids.
"EMT apparel is one of our fastest growing markets," says Rothco spokesman Hans Blechschmidt.
Rothco offers Teflon coated EMT pants, as well as Teflon coated BDUs. Although Teflon is not an impermeable barrier against accidental spills and body fluids, it allows fluids to easily wash off before they can penetrate the material. Body fluids simply roll off the pants, said Blechschmidt.
Reflective clothing for construction workers, police and others working outdoors at night or in foul weather is another major category. Rothco sells reflective vests, as well as reflective parkas and rain suits. In addition to standard yellow and orange, the reflective rainwear is available in black, a color preferred by police.
Kevlar® gloves are an important item for customers, including meat and fish cutters, who work in environment where they may suffer cuts on the hand. Kevlar gloves are especially useful for police when patting down suspects and searching through unknown contents. In addition to protecting against sharp objects, Kevlar will stand up temperatures of 800 degrees Fahrenheit, said Blechschmidt notes. Nevertheless, for fire safety, Nomex gloves remain first choice.
For SWAT teams and riot squads, Rothco offers ballistic helmets, designed for protection against shrapnel rather than bullets.
Rothco also sells polycarbonate see-through plastic shields for riot control, shatter resistant goggles and silicone hearing protectors worn inside the ear, as well as traditional over-the-ear hearing protectors.
Shoe business
Footwear is an essential element in any protective outfit, both for resistance to fluids and protection against hazardous conditions during police and military activities.
Wellco, one of the four U.S. shoe companies that provide footwear to the U.S. military, is introducing two new protective boots.
The Spartan, which will soon be on the market, is an eight-inch all leather boot designed for police and tactical use. Features include a sticky rubber outsole for maximum slippery resistance.
"It is an extremely lightweight boot from the moment they are on your feet," said Wellco VP Neil Streeter.
Wellco's new WelMed model is a slip resistant bloodborne pathogen resistant boot for EMS first responders. The boot is also equipped with a composite, non-metallic safety toe for additional protection. Each boot has the EMS logo embroidered on the outside heel in 3M reflective thread for nighttime visibility. The uppers are made from washable leather so that body fluids wash off.
Over the past 20 years, body armor has become an essential part of police uniform, said Peter Applebaum, president of Pacorp, a company that has specialized in sales of both new and used body armor for 25 years.
Business has been very good, said Applebaum, noting that sales of used body armor to security companies have soared since 9/11.
"Security companies have come to realize the benefits of putting body armor on their officers, including reduced insurance rates," said Applebaum.
Used body armor is defined as body armor whose warranty has expired. Body armor that has been hit is not suitable for re-sale, Applebaum said.
Applebaum sells to retailers exclusively. He does not sell to police departments, the military or individual customers.
Learn much more about body armor and other protective gear by reading the expanded version of this article on the ANSOM Web site, www.ansommag.com.
While police officers are equipped with new body armor, security guards, journalists and contractors traveling to Iraq and other global hot spots are more likely to buy used vests because of lower prices. A vest that would sell for $1,000 new may be priced at half that amount used.
"Over time there is little deterioration in the effectiveness of the ballistic materials," Applebaum explained.
Soft body armor, the type used outside the military, is manufactured in four levels of protection: 1, 2a, 2 and 3a. Level 1 is the most basic and is no longer recommended, said Applebaum. Level 2a, which can stop a .38, .45, and low velocity .357 Magnum and low velocity 9 millimeter is still used but is not highly recommended. The national recommendation is Level 2, which can stop everything that level 2a will and provide additional protection. The highest level is level 3a, which will stop everything that level 2 will and provide greater protection against 44 Magnum and 9 millimeter semi-automatic rounds.
Applebaum does not sell hard body armor used in the military. Hard body armor, he notes, is comprised of laminates with added composite plates that will defeat rifle fire.
An important but optional piece of the vest is the trauma plate that fits over the heart area. The trauma plate provides additional protection against blunt trauma, which can cause heart attacks.
Applebaum notes that in his 25 years in business, the greatest advancements he has seen in body armor have been the development of lighter weight and more flexible materials.
Selling protection
Dale Letourneau, manager of Full Metal Jacket, an Alexandria, Virginia retailer, has been selling used body armor for many years. Located just across the Potomac from Washington, DC, Full Metal Jacket supplies government agencies, as well as journalists, contractors and other independent travelers. But for several years the body armor business has been slower, said Letourneau.
"When the war started, we sold quite a bit, but nowadays we do not sell as much," he said.
Letourneau is uncertain as to the reasons for the decline but speculates that fewer individuals outside the military are traveling to Iraq and Afghanistan.
However, Letourneau enjoys strong sales in selective protective items. Nomex gloves continue as a steady seller, but many of his customers wear them as street gloves and not specifically for fire protection. Sales of chemical suits and gas masks only emerge during scares such as 9/11, he said.
Although NBC Safety sells standard emergency supplies such as MREs, water purifiers, its focus is on preparedness for NBC - nuclear, biological or chemical attacks or accidents, said NBC Safety president Perry Hitt.
While gas mask sales surge when there is a crisis, sales of emergency escape hoods are steady, said Hitt. The escape hood is both cheaper and less technical in its requirements. Escape hoods require less training and are designed to fit just about everyone, said Hitt.
"They are designed for less frequent use, really a one time use, but they don't require any of the infrastructure or training and fitting that gas masks do, he said.
In an emergency the lungs are the most vulnerable parts of the body and the first focus for protection. But toxins can be absorbed through any part of the body and the skin and eyes need to be protected, as well.
Hands are involved in almost every activity and protective gloves are an important safety element, said Hitt, who sells a variety of cut resistant extrication gloves.
A good quality extrication glove, Hitt explains, consists of a tough leather outer layer, a Kevlar or other aramid fabric second layer, a fluid resistant third layer and, finally, a traditional cloth layer that goes against the hand. Hitt notes that law enforcement officers need to be concerned about being stuck by a contaminated needle when frisking suspects. Other consumers for extrication gloves include butchers and factory workers and people who work with knives in general.
author: BY HOWARD PROSNITZ