King's_Own
Amateur
Cross posted on LF for max coverage.
I've been pinged by our clothing and equipment committee to start investigating ballistic helmets for pool issue to patrol members of my agency; as in when you draw your car, shotty, etc, you can also draw a helmet (plates are otw in case it seems like putting the cart before the horse).
I understand the different materials, NIJ ratings, suspension systems etc. What I lack is context. The only helmet I have worn is the CF issued Gallet.
We have 8 patrol districts. I figure an average turn out would be 40 members per district at absolute peak times, including sgts, community resource officers, sro, and other odds and sods. So at least 320 need to be on hand at any given time. Not that they would all go out; we've had members turn in patrol rifles cuz they don't like carrying them to the car. Blue welfare is north of the border too.
I see the requirements for this helmet as such, in order:
- protection. Frag only? Level 2? Level 3A? Is there a special threat type helmet out there I've missed? I know most are not capable of defeating rifle fire without an applique of some sort, what is an acceptable general issue level of protection?
- cost effective. Sorry but it's true, the agency is not going to pay for 400 Air Frames of varying size. Adding to this... available in Canada is obviously a requirement.
- durable. These are going to get banged around and generally not cared for as they wont be indiviudal issued. Is UHDPE an option? Seems like it would take more abuse than a Kevlar weave.
- fit. We have members ranging from tiny female to man mountain. I would imagine that having 5 or so helmets at either extreme in every district and the majority in the medium and large range would probably suit our need. With that comes adjustability. The helmet will need to have enough adjustment to be individually fitted to a reasonable degree.
So, hivemind, does such a beast exist? Am I pissing up a rope? Or is the answer painfully obvious?
I've been pinged by our clothing and equipment committee to start investigating ballistic helmets for pool issue to patrol members of my agency; as in when you draw your car, shotty, etc, you can also draw a helmet (plates are otw in case it seems like putting the cart before the horse).
I understand the different materials, NIJ ratings, suspension systems etc. What I lack is context. The only helmet I have worn is the CF issued Gallet.
We have 8 patrol districts. I figure an average turn out would be 40 members per district at absolute peak times, including sgts, community resource officers, sro, and other odds and sods. So at least 320 need to be on hand at any given time. Not that they would all go out; we've had members turn in patrol rifles cuz they don't like carrying them to the car. Blue welfare is north of the border too.
I see the requirements for this helmet as such, in order:
- protection. Frag only? Level 2? Level 3A? Is there a special threat type helmet out there I've missed? I know most are not capable of defeating rifle fire without an applique of some sort, what is an acceptable general issue level of protection?
- cost effective. Sorry but it's true, the agency is not going to pay for 400 Air Frames of varying size. Adding to this... available in Canada is obviously a requirement.
- durable. These are going to get banged around and generally not cared for as they wont be indiviudal issued. Is UHDPE an option? Seems like it would take more abuse than a Kevlar weave.
- fit. We have members ranging from tiny female to man mountain. I would imagine that having 5 or so helmets at either extreme in every district and the majority in the medium and large range would probably suit our need. With that comes adjustability. The helmet will need to have enough adjustment to be individually fitted to a reasonable degree.
So, hivemind, does such a beast exist? Am I pissing up a rope? Or is the answer painfully obvious?