ITE is a product development firm with 50 designers and engineers located in Cincinnati, Ohio. As part of our COVID-19 response efforts, we have begun working on the development of a portable mask sterilization device, custom made for first responders.

We’d like to include you in the development of this product so we put together this brief survey to help us better understand your experience, needs and wants for such a device.

This short 10 minute survey should help a lot. There is a section at the end for any additional comments you want to include.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/M85K32X

Thanks so much for your time!

Best,

The ITE COVID-19 Response Team

Hey guys - I thought you might be interested in a product my company developed called the CoverMe-Seat. It's designed for anyone who sits a lot, might need ballistic protection, but who doesn't want to wear a bulletproof vest under (or over) their clothes for an extended period of time, which probably describes certain types of first responders.

The product is flexible enough to work as an insert into an existing chair or car seat, and rigid enough to work as a standalone stadium-style chair with a supported back. In just a few seconds it converts into a bulletproof vest for front and rear protection. The ballistic panels are tested to NIJ IIIA spec by a US-based, NIJ-accredited laboratory. (The NIJ won't formally certify vests that don't wrap around your entire body, otherwise we'd have applied for the certificate.)
 

The "seatback" also works as a plate carrier. So you can choose to have IIIA protection standard front and back, or supplement this with a lvl III or IV ballistic plate. We sell a composite UHMWPE / ceramic plate that will stand up to a few bumps. The soft-panel ballistics are also UHMWPE, which disperses heat better than Kevlar, and is arguably going to stand up better to moisture over time.
 

The CoverMe-Seat weighs just under 6 lbs, so it's easy to transport when you're not sitting in it. We're selling it for $135. While that's a bit expensive for a stadium-style seat, it's competitively priced for a bulletproof vest / carrier. :) The link is below. I'll enable inbox responses and try to check back in periodically if anyone wants to discuss or has questions.
 

https://shop.practicalprotect.com/collections/purchase/products/coverme-seat
 

EDIT - Grammar

Ever since the first battle of the very first war mankind has been using weapons to harm one another for anything from religion to the politics. With the creation of these weapons came body armor, from the basic shield and bronze the Greeks and Romans utilized all the way to present day highly sophisticated light yet very effective bullet proof vests. Over the course of history we have seen as there is one big development in either body armor or weaponry the other area must make advancements to try to be better then the other. As we go further into this article we will see real examples of this and will see how body armor has advanced in relation to weapons over the course of history.

We will start with the Greeks and Romans who reigned when the weapons at the time were simply swords, javelins and arrows. This meant that combat was always held at a close distance and was very violent. As a result the soldiers carried a shield and wore very thick heavy bronze and iron body armor. This armor was made to take and deflect heavy blows from their enemies who were typically the barbarians. The barbarians on the other hand noticed the bulkiness in their armor made the soldiers much slower and therefore wore body armor made of leather and mail which was much less protective but far lighter and allowed them to be much more mobile which allowed them to attack their enemies from their horses and run hoping that they could avoid a fatal blow. 

Now we move onto the medieval period, as weapons advanced from the previous era the body armor had to catch up in order to be effective. So one major development in this era was the development of chain mail. Chain mail is a series of rings interlocked together that was very effective against defending from weapons that either stabbed or slashed. The reason why this body armor is a huge improvement over the Greek and Roman armor is because it was far lighter and therefore made the soldiers a lot more mobile. Despite the effectiveness against these weapons chain mail was not very useful against maces, hammers or any other weapon that used brute force as a way to get through the armor. Over time as a way to at least absorb some of the damage taken by these weapons the soldiers would wear a type of advanced leather or jerkin over or underneath the chain mail to provide a bit more protection or as a means to occasionally deflect blows from the enemy. While this did provide a bit of extra protection it was still not very useful against weapons such as crossbows, or maces. As a result solid iron or metal plates were slowly beginning to be wore which provided much more protection. These became much more commonplace as we see eventually soldiers wear body suits entirely out of metal plates. This would be what most people know as knights in shining armor in present day. While this armor was effective at receiving and absorbing blows it was also very heavy. With some suits wearing over a 100 pounds, this extra weight made the soldiers far less mobile. 


With the discovery of gun powder in China in the 9th century which led to the creation of guns made all body armor before it obsolete. It took over a thousand years for the first modern  bulletproof vest to be invented by polish engineer Casimir Zeglen. Before this many people experimented and found ways to stop or slow down bullets with layers of metal or soft body armor crated by the Japanese, but these methods proved to be far too ineffective (the metal armor) or far too expensive to be wildly produced (the Japanese softer body armor). This early vest provided protection against low caliber guns of the era and the weight of the material he wore was only half a pound per square foot, so it was extremely lightweight. This was just the beginning of a new revolutionary form of body armor that would forever change the way body armor was looked at. 


 It wasn’t until the 1960s that new fibers were discovered that made truly bulletproof vests as we know it today. With this Dupont’s Kevlar ballistic fiber was invented. This vest had the ability to stop much higher velocity bullets and higher caliber bullets then previous vests. There is also another alternative to kevlar in present day vests known as AR500 armor. This armor can withstand bullets fired from anything to a handgun to an assault rifle. Now with the AR500’s higher stopping power comes the fact that it is heavier then any kind of kevlar vest. Both of these vests are now considered the best body armor available today.


As we have seen the development of armor over the course of history we have seen great advancements in the field. It only leads one to wonder what could future armor be like. The trend for body armor is for it to be cheaper, lighter and higher stopping power. Is it possible that someday there will be whole body suits that could be activated with a press of a button that protects the user from any type of harm? The possibilities are endless and the sky is the limit for the development of body armor as researchers and billions of dollars are being poured into in the military to find more effective weapons and defense systems. 


As for now if you are interested in getting your own set of body armor, Pick your style and at the checkout use PROMO CODE: vests4life for $50 off your purchase. Check us out at:

<a href=”http://americanarmorassociation.com/”>American Armor Association</a>

Bianchi Accumold handcuff pouch: $15

Bianchi Accumold ASP holster: $15

HSGI LEO TACO: $25

Nearly brand new. Worn one day a week for approximately a year. Comes with 2 under the shirt carriers and a navy blue shirt style outer carrier. Size is XL Long. Includes two soft trauma plates. Retail on this vest is over $800. Price includes shipping with tracking. PayPal preferred.

$500

I will consider reasonable offers. PM for info.

Pic

Anybody have gear they would be willing to donate to small county volunteer fire dept that doesn't get much if any help

I'm looking for a new work watch, something that is stylish beyond a Timex Ironman but is still sturdy and has good visibility at night. Looking to keep it under $100. Any suggestions?

Anyone try out this vest or know someone that has? I'm curious if it's worth it: http://www.221btactical.com/maxx-dri-vest.html

So I just started using this tonight...and I LOVE it. I wear an acoustic tube ear piece and I can't stand the fitted open air earpieces because they never seem to stay in place. So, I've had to use the (unfortunately phallic shaped) rubber earbud that came with it. It stayed in place but it blocks so much sound.

Then I found these little guys. They serve the same purpose, forming to the ear canal and holding in place, but have notches cut out so you can get a lot more ambient noise. I've only had them in for half a shift now but the difference is night and day.

The only negative thing I've found is that the hole that connects the piece to the rest of the earpiece is not nearly as snug and feels like it might come off if I tugged it too hard, but so far no problems.

http://www.amazon.com/5-11-Mens-ATAC-Inches-Black/dp/B0040W6GRA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407728399&sr=8-1&keywords=5.11+6+boot

So my PD issued me all Clarino (patent leather) gear and I hate it. It looks good at funerals and that is it. We can buy nylon and I've been looking at a lot of Bianchi stuff (belts, cuff cases, etc.) and I wanted to see if anyone has any experience with it. I wanted a snap cuff case but my Sgt. suggested going with the velcro because it's easier to close and the velcro holds up incredibly well over time. Does anyone know if this is accurate?

What are your thoughts on these shirts? I am looking to get some duty shirts and i like how the Elbeco Duty Maxx feel/wear. They are water/stain resistant, although they are a bit heavier than most shirts and are pretty pricey ~$55. Any thoughts on similar?

Thanks for checking out this subreddit. I know there is not much here now, but don't let that stop you from posting. Stay safe out there!