Safariland Blog - Body Armor

Are You Wearing Your Body Armor Backwards?

rod.dornsife@baesystems.com (Rod Dornsife) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 08:15:00 -0400

As strange as that may sound, there is a very good chance that you, or one of your fellow officers, will go on duty tonight wearing body armor that may provide far less ballistic protection than expected.

Modern body armor is designed to protect the wearer from deadly high-velocity handgun rounds using a sophisticated combination of bullet-stopping materials, strategies and tactics.

From the moment a bullet tears through an officer’s uniform shirt at supersonic speed, it engages several different layers of an amazing “ballistic sandwich” engineered to take on many different roles during an extremely violent ballistic event that takes place–from beginning to end–within 3 nanoseconds. All in a distance of less than two inches. A nanosecond is one-billionth of a second (1/1,000,000,000), so all of this interaction with the bullet and the vest is happening very very quickly.

In fact, Safariland’s body armor engineers use ultra-high speed digital photography to slow this incredibly destructive event down to the point where they can study, frame-by-frame, how each layer of material and individual vest component interacts with the bullet during each phase of the ballistic event. Unimaginable forces are created by these devastating impacts, and they are being transmitted through, and absorbed by, your vest’s ballistic panel and your upper torso.

Concealable body armor is designed to both stop bullets and reduce serious injury in a multi-step process:

Armor panels must first slow and deform the projectile, blunting its tip and increasing its footprint.
Since bullets also spin and violently twist anything in their path, engineers then seek to engage and entangle them with as many high-strength ballistic fibers as possible. That blunting and entangling action “catches” the bullet in a net-like fashion, ultimately slowing and stopping it.
In addition, the vest panel must keep the bullet and the back of the vest panel from protruding (in a net or trampoline-like fashion) deep into an officer’s muscle tissue and chest cavity (called backface deformation). Currently the new NIJ Standard and federally mandated backface limit is 44mm or 1.73 inches.
Finally, the panel must also absorb and dampen the resulting shock wave, which by itself is capable of tearing skin, breaking bones and damaging organs (backface trauma injuries).

The resulting multi-material (hybrid), multi-layered vest panel designs (ballistic sandwiches) are often patented and considered closely guarded trade secrets. Safariland alone offers many patented constructions and innovative approaches to solving these ballistic protection challenges.

Unfortunately, these highly sophisticated panel structures are usually directional in nature. That means if they were shot from the opposite or back side, the complex methods they use to stop bullets and protect officers become all but useless.

So, wearing vest panels in the proper strikeface/body-side orientation is a serious life and death issue. Federal requirements are already in place to make sure all NIJ compliant vests are properly labeled to indicate which side is which. Unfortunately, many officers still don’t take the time to read the labels and double-check their vests.

So, the next time you wash your vest carrier and head back to work after a few days off, take a moment to read the label on your vest panels to be absolutely sure the strikeface side of your panels are facing the bad guys. It could save your life.

New NIJ Standard for Body Armor Sets Performance and Testing Requirements for Ballistic Resistance

(Marsha Mathias) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:30:00 -0400

Body armor is changing for the better, thanks to new performance standards set by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). The NIJ is the research, development and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice and is dedicated to researching crime-control and justice issues. The new NIJ Standard-0101.06, as it’s officially called, specifies revised minimum-performance requirements that body armor must meet to satisfy the needs of criminal-justice agencies. It also establishes the methods that are used to test this performance. The updated standard and testing procedures ensure that officers will be getting the best body armor and the most comprehensive protection available.

The NIJ’s testing procedures are extremely rigorous and account for numerous factors that could affect the performance of body armor. The most significant changes in the new standard include:

Increase performance velocities ensure that officers are protected against current and emerging threats. Including a velocity increase and round change for the IIIA threat type, from the 9mm to the .357 Sig.
More diverse shot placement provides increased area of reliable coverage regarding edge shots. Edge shot performance also reduces the number of officer injuries and fatalities due to shots impacting close to the edge. The standard now requires the testing of five fixed template sizes to provide equal threat performance across a range of sizes.
More rigorous environmental conditioning of armor prior to testing helps simulate real-world conditions, in which armor is subjected to heat, moisture and mechanical wear. Things can get pretty hot in the trunk of a patrol car, which is where a lot of body armor resides when not being worn. Under the previous standard, test vests were sprayed with a moderate mist for six minutes. Under the new standard, test vests are submerged for thirty minutes prior to testing.

In addition to the NIJ’s testing procedures, the NIJ will also have the authority to pull armor off a manufacturer’s floor for retesting to assure performance standards are upheld over time as part of their quality and audit process.

The new standard sets the bar high for manufacturers. Good ones, though, fully support it.

Choosing the Right Body Armor Fit and Coverage For Your Threat Level

pennington.way@baesystems.com (Pennington Way) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:26:00 -0400

Let’s talk about body armor fit and coverage. As we all know, body armor panels and carriers come in many different shapes, sizes, and comfort levels. Today, I want to specifically talk about a few key things you should consider when selecting a vest and getting properly sized.

Your department or agency has probably dictated what ballistic threat level you need to wear on duty and may have even told which manufacturer’s model you will be wearing. Now your questions and analysis should be focused on torso coverage when issued or purchasing custom-sized body armor. When being sized, wearers should demand a two-inch, front-to-back panel overlap to help prevent rounds from ‘slipping in’ during a side angle or to the back.

Next, make sure that there is enough coverage on your sides. While the two-inch side overlap ensures increased protection, make sure the sides rise high enough under the arm to protect the sensitive armpit region. If the panels are too high, they will most likely cause chaffing and rubbing when you move your arms. If the panels are too low below the armpit region, you are unnecessarily sacrificing some torso coverage.

Finally, it is important to keep a one- to two-inch gap between the top of your duty gear belt and the bottom of your vest. This helps ensure that there is enough room for the vest to shift when you are in the sitting position and stops your armor from pushing up towards your neck and throat. Also, when you body armor and duty gear are in frequent contact, the vest could potentially suffer unintended wear, rubbing, or creasing that can affect the panel covering and ballistic materials over time.

Feel free to discuss these issues with your equipment provider or manufacturer’s representative. Remember, asking questions and playing an active role in vest selection should never be criticized!

Bulletproof Vest Partnership now Accepting Applications for Body Armor Funding

pennington.way@baesystems.com (Pennington Way) — Wed, 20 May 2009 10:41:00 -0400

So, your department needs new body armor but budgets are a bit tight? The U.S. DOJ’s Bulletproof Vest Program (BVP) may be the perfect solution! On May 13, 2009, the FY 2009 BVP program began accepting applications.

The program is a DOJ initiative designed to provide a critical funding resource for state and local law enforcement to purchase body armor and related equipment. Since 1999, more than 11,900 jurisdictions have participated in the BVP Program, with $173 million in federal funds committed to support the purchase of an estimated 450,000 vests.

Here a few things you should know about the BVP program:

BVP provides 50% of the funding for your department’s new body armor
FY 2009 applications must be submitted online by 5:00pm Eastern, Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Departments can only apply for NIJ compliant armor…not individual officers
Concealable vests, tactical body armor, and stab-resistant armor are eligible
K-9 armor and helmets are not eligible
Departments receive their funding approximately three to four months after the application period closes

To get the full scoop on the BVP program and FY 2009 body armor funding opportunities, go to:

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bvpbasi/home.html

If your department is interested in participating, do not wait until the last minute to register and prepare your application! If you are new to the application process, this is particularly important.
Also, contact your local equipment distributor or Safariland representative and ask about BVP program vest specials and NIJ .06 compliant models. They are a wealth of information and can help you better research and navigate the process.

Safariland: Different Name, Same Body Armor Brands

(Angela Milligan) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:28:00 -0400

Since we changed our name to Safariland, I've received many questions about how this organizational change will affect our body armor brands.

In short, this change is the best thing that's happened to the industry in quite a while. We are now able to capitalize on our reputation in one of the most recognized brands in the industry.

For example, while attending this week's 2009 SHOT Show in Orlando, FL (January 14-18) I'll bet 4 out of every 5 people I met would have been able to tell me something about Safariland. And, if they were in Law Enforcement, odds are they already owned some type of SAFARILAND gear.

Now, when I'm asked how does this change things for body armor, my answer is simply this: “Something good just got better”. American Body Armor is still providing customers with light-weight, high-performing armor solutions for added flexibility.

Second Chance is still the best line of armor if you're looking for both performance and comfort. Safariland has always been this industry’s leader in special threats and innovation, while Protech has lead the tactical market for many years now.

And SAVVY is helping women all over the country to finally find a piece of armor that actually fits. The best part about it, is that none of this changes our main goal--SAVING LIVES!