Zahal

Military Blog

Bullet Proof Your Career and Your Life

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Recently, the National Institute of Justice published a report that indicated only 1/3 of all criminal justice agencies require their officers to wear bullet proof vests while on duty. Many police officers, security guards and other men and women who put themselves in the line of fire are not required to wear them unless they are on high danger tactical forces. The problem is that a routine traffic stop, DUI checkpoints, the serving of a warrant, extra jobs at the bowling alley or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time can make you a target of gunfire by the sheer nature of your outer uniform. Seasoned officers admit that you never know when a routine domestic situation or un-alarming call will turn deadly and that what you wear beneath your blues, both heart and body armor, are the two fragile components that can allow you to keep your own life in tact.

There is a good chance that your agency provides you will bulletproof vests. Before wearing your vest it is vital that you are fitted properly, rather than just ordered a size based on an approximate measurement. Gaps in the bullet proof vest can leave an opening for a stray bullet and can cause you to feel cumbersome when moving around. When a bullet proof vest fits properly, it will lie like second skin against your body and you will be able to easily adjust to the weight after you become accustomed to it. Additionally, after five or so years your vest may be outdated and the Kevlar threads can become weakened. It should be replaced. Other indications that call for a vest replacement are if you have lost or gained weight recently which has altered the size of your normal clothes. If your vest has ever been involved in a shooting or piercing incident, the vest should be deemed unusable and replacement purchased.

Bullet proof vests are not only affordable but come in a wide range of gauges to give you just the right amount of protection for your job. They also have a full and expanse line of tactical gear like bullet proof bags, trauma plates and other gear designed to give you protection in a high fire power situation so that you can walk away with your life. Israeli bulletproof vests produced with Israeli Defense Forces ensuring that their products will hold up to he most aggressive of stand offs. They can provide an entire force or team of security officers with the gear they need to remain safe as well as sell updated equipment to an officer that wants to protect himself. From a long line of bullet proof vests, body armor, bullet proof bags and even stop spikes, everything an officer needs to gain the upper hand is offered at reasonable costs with the highest level of safety and security in mind.

Bulletproof Products (Clothing, Bags)

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Having the right protective gear can mean the difference between surviving a serious calamity and dying. There are many individuals that unsuspectingly come under fire who were not properly protected. If you are in an employment position that requires a certain level of protection, then you should consider some of the many bulletproof products that are available on the market.

You may already know that you can purchase body armor that can be worn under or over your clothes. Depending on the rating of the vest, you may be protected from many types of small arms fire, as well as bullets from rifles. However, there are additional products that can be purchased which protect you from specific arms fire and are functional for everyday use.

Bulletproof Bags

Individuals that require a lower degree of protection and do not want to or need to wear a bulletproof vest can purchase bags and briefcases that will provide them with the shield that they need. Typically, the bags that consumers can purchase will provide up to a Type IIIA rating which will stop bullets such as .22, .38, .357 Magnum, 9mm, .40 and .44 Magnum calibers.

When confronted with a situation where you may be fired upon, these bags open quickly to afford protection against an oncoming bullet. If you have purchased a briefcase, the case will open to 180 degrees, allowing you to hold the top and bottom portion of the bag as a shield. Other models of bulletproof bags may also contain additional layers that can shield the body from head to toe when it is opened.

These products are normally made out of Kevlar, which is a special yarn-thread that is woven into the garment to create a protective cloth. The cloth is then cut and layered into the shape of the product. There are also other bulletproof materials, such as Spectra Shield, that may be used to create other body armor products.

Bulletproof Clothing

Many companies have created clothing options for individuals seeking every day protection that prefer not to wear regular body armor. These companies have created jackets and other items that provide the same protection as the bags mentioned above. These jackets have the ability for extra plates to be added to increase the rating if the needed arises.

If you are considering the purchase of protective gear, then you should take the time to determine what you are needs will be. Bulletproof products that are discrete can provide you the protection you require without having the wear traditional body armor.

Body Armor Uses in Law Enforcement

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The men and women that serve in law enforcement need to be protected on an everyday basis. These individuals are met with constant danger as they patrol the streets of our nation. Most police departments require that their patrol officers were some form of body armor as it reduces the chances of serious injury when they come under fire.

Patrolmen and Patrolwomen

In order to be protected against the threat of a gunshot, a patrolperson can wear a bulletproof vest that has a rating of Type IIIA. This particular type of vest happens to be the highest concealable personal body armor that is available today. While it is unlikely the officer is going to come under fire from a rifle, they are protected from various types of bullets, such as .22, .380, 9mm, .40, .357Magnum and .44 Magnum.

Since these vests are typically worn under the uniform, they need to be form-fitting so that the officer can move properly in them. If the vest is too big, the officer may be at a disadvantage should they need to discharge their fire arm as the vest may have shifted.

Tactical Officers

Every major city and town will more than likely have a special response unit. These highly trained individuals will handle situations that involve kidnappings, bomb threats and other hostile situations. The bulletproof vests that these individuals will ear will more than likely be rated Type III or IV. They will protect the individual for small arms fire as well as bullets from a rifle.

It is important to note that these vests are heavier than Type I through IIIA and they are more restrictive in their movements. This is because the vests need to withstand shots fired from rifles.

Corrections / Jail Personnel

Individuals that work in the corrections system do not typically have to worry about the threat of gunfire since the inmates are locked up in their cell and the only ones with fire arms are the guards. The real threat these individuals face are from stabbings. Inmates often create stabbing devices out of metal and other objects that they will impale the guard with.

To combat this threat, guards can wear concealable body armor that will protect against stabbings. There are two classes of vests (Edged Blade and Spike Class) with three levels in each class. The levels are based on the amount of energy the vest can stop, which is measured in joules.

Law enforcement personnel need to make sure that they remain protected at all times because there are individuals that are waiting to take advantage of them. By properly determining the risk of injury involved in your line of work, you will be able to select the appropriate vest that will meet your needs.

Bullet Proof Vests – FAQ’s

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What is a bulletproof vest used for? This protective clothing is a form of body armor that is meant to shield the wearer from the negative effects of combat. It is most commonly used for military and law enforcement applications. A vest is able to defend against a bullet and sharp object punctures.

What are they made of? The two commonly used materials are called Kevlar and Spectra. Kevlar fabric is made by first creating Kevlar yarn that is then weaved into the cloth. Spectra is made by laying the fibers parallel to one another and then bonding them together with resin.

Are all bulletproof vests the same? No. Bulletproof vests have different levels of protection based on the manufacturing process that was used. The various ratings that bulletproof vests come in are I, II-A, II, III-A, III, IV. It is also important to note that the higher the rating, the heavier the vest.

Does a Personal Body Armor, such as bulletproof vests, have to be tested? Yes. Once a design for a bulletproof vest is created, the manufacturer has to make sure that the vest meets the safety guidelines put in place by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). The vest is tested by firing several shots in predetermined positions to test to integrity of the design. Once the vest has been approved, the design is registered and certified for replication.

How can I tell if a specific bulletproof vest is authentic? To make sure that the vest you are purchasing is authentic, you need to pay special attention to the label. This label will alert you to the:

  • Size
  • Model
  • Manufacturer
  • The rating
  • Lot number
  • Issue date
  • Serial number

If you are purchasing a vest that is rated between I and III-A, then it has to have a disclaimer that it will not protect the wearer against rifle fire or sharp instrument intrusion. If the label does not contain this warning, you should immediately return to the store.

Can bulletproof vests be concealable? Yes. There are several manufacturers of bulletproof vests that have created body armor that are concealable. These include jackets and vests that can be worn by important personnel without anyone noticing that they are protected. Individuals that are wearing them can feel confident that small arms fire may not cause them bodily harm.

Personal Body Armor Info

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If you want to protect yourself from bullets fired by terrorists or hidden enemies, wear bodyarmor. Personal Body armor, commonly known as ‘Bulletproof vest’, can save your life from bullets. Soldiers have been wearing armor for thousands of years to protect themselves from enemies. Body armor is widely used by military, police, and body guards all over the world. Why not by you? You can find excellent and unique varieties of these vests.

Body armor is a ‘bullet-resistant vest’. Body armor has a web of very strong fibers. When a bullet strikes it, the impact energy is transmitted to the vest from the bullet. The fibers absorb and disperse this energy causing the bullet to deform. The web is hard enough to deflect the bullet. To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction and so the armor stuff pushes out on the bullet with the same power or nearly the same force with which the bullet pushes in, so the armor is not penetrated. Additional energy is absorbed by each successive layer of material in the vest; until such time as the bullet has been stopped.

Fibers of Bodyarmor prevent the bullet from penetrating inside. The multiple layers of the vest work together like a web and thus a large area of the vest prevent the bullet from penetrating. This also disperses the forces. However this may cause blunt trauma resulting into some non penetrating injuries to inner organs of the body. Research is going on to find more suitable material so that a vest is constructed from a single ply of material.

Human flesh is soft and weak and bullets are solid and fast. Personal Body armor has proven very effective in saving men lives under different situations. Bulletproof vests of different design and strength are made for different purposed. For example, body armor designed to overpower rifle fire is of either rigid or semi-rigid construction, made metals and hard materials like ceramics. Because of its weight and bulkiness, it is not practical for routine use. It is more relevant for use for short periods of time in tactical situations. It is worn especially to deal with higher level risks. Today, modern generation of concealable body armor is available.

Armor protects your precious life and you can, as per your threat perception, choose out of a variety of levels designed to overcome common low or medium energy handgun rounds to a rifle fire.

Kevlar

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One of the most significant achievements in the development of body armor was the invention of DuPont’s Kevlar ballistic fabric. Invented by Polish-American female chemist Stephanie Kwolek while working for DuPont, Kevlar was accidently invented. Ironically, the fabric was originally intended to replace steel belting in vehicle tires. In 1964, her group began searching for a new lightweight strong fiber to use for light but strong tires. The polymers she had been working with at the time, poly-p-Phenylene-terephthalate and polybenzamide, formed liquid crystal while in solution, something unique to those polymers at the time. The solution was cloudy, opalescent upon being stirred, and of low viscosity and usually was thrown away. However, Kwolek persuaded the technician, Charles Smullen, who ran the “spinneret”, to test her solution, and was amazed to find that the fiber did not break, unlike nylon.

Her supervisor and her laboratory director understood the significance of her discovery and a new field of polymer chemistry quickly arose, giving birth to the incredibly strong fabric we all know today that stop bullets.

Flak Jacket

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The next generation of anti-ballistic bullet proof vest was the World War II “flak jacket” made from ballistic nylon. The flak jacket provided protection primarily from ammunitions fragments and was ineffective against most direct pistol and rifle threats. Flak jackets were also very cumbersome and bulky and hinder a soldier’s effectiveness on the battlefield.

Early Bullet Proof Vests Patents

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The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office lists records dating back to 1919 for various designs of bullet proof vests and body armor type garments. One of the first documented instances where such a garment was demonstrated for use by law enforcement officers was detailed in the April 2, 1931 edition of the Washington, D.C., Evening Star, where a bullet proof vest was demonstrated to members of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Soft Body Armor

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One of the first recorded instances of the use of soft body armor was by the medieval Japanese, who used armor plate manufactured from silk. It was not until the late 19th century that the first use of soft body armor in the United States was recorded. At that time, the military explored the possibility of using soft body armor manufactured from silk. This form of armor plate project even attracted congressional attention after the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901.

This form of armor plate proved successful after the garments were shown to be effective against low-velocity bullets, those traveling at 400 feet per second or less, but however this armor plate did not offer protection against the new generation of handgun ammunition being introduced at that time. Ammunition that traveled at velocities of more than 600 feet per second. This, along with the prohibitive cost of silk made this new armor plate concept unacceptable. Silk body armor of this type was said to have been worn by Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria when he was killed by a shot to the head, thereby precipitating World War I.

History of Body Armor

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As early as the dawning of time armor plate of some sort whether animal hides or wood has been used to defeat weaponry. Dating back to the Ancient Greeks and civilizations around the world people have created some form of protectant body armor during battle. Whether this armor was an armor plate using layers of bronze or animal skin layered over to form fit a torso thereby creating protectant body armor. As civilizations became more advanced, wooden shields and then metal shields came into use. These shields became mobile armor plate or carried body armor as we reference today.

The Roman’s Legions under the command of Julius Caesar saw a change in armor plate and all Legionaries wore uniformed body armor and armor plate designed shield mixed with bronze or metal. The Romans changed their weaponry as well and developed a standing military force up unto that time the world had never seen. The end result was world power for hundreds of years. Body armor can be extremely effective in terms of a whole military force as proven by the Greeks and expanded by the Romans.

Eventually, metal was also seen in expansion to body armor, what we now refer to as the suit of armor associated with the knights of the Middle Ages. Shields used as armor plate were still in use but the history of body armor was changing. However, with the invention of firearms around 1500, metal body armor became ineffective.

As history has changed with the advancement of weapons and ballistics, body armor and armor plate material has also changed with it. As time goes on it maintains a constant race for the development of advanced weaponry and stronger armor to defeat it. After the invention of cannons and early rifles body armor and the technology to develop some form of armor plate seemed ineffective for the average soldier on the battlefield. The only form of armor plate that seemed to defeat the rifle and even canon fire was thick iron used as armor plate on the sides of naval vessels as this was seen on both sides of the American Civil War.

It wasn’t until the 20th century that armor plate made an amazing comeback and for the first time in history it seemed body armor for the average soldier and law enforcement was on the superior side.