Preparation and innovation is key as nations respond to the pervasive nature of current and future CBRN risks. Scott Safety provides cutting edge technology for CBRN respiratory protection.
Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats have provided a sinister backdrop to events in Syria and Iraq, where CBRN weapons and improvised CBRN devices have been used against the innocent and unprotected. Ungoverned space in the Middle East, and north, east and west Africa are areas where radicalised non-state organisations currently have a lot of control, and these networks undoubtedly have access to toxic industrial chemical, biological and radiological materials.
The threat does not only apply to land environments; witness other delivery options: the ongoing hijacking of container ships and chemical tankers in the maritime domain and the proliferation of unmanned aerial systems. However, as much as dangerous substances are released through deliberate terrorist or criminal acts, they can also be emitted by accident, or as a result of natural disasters or neglect.
Crucially, the best CBRN protective equipment not only provides resilience and assurance, but also serves as a deterrent in signalling intent to ‘survive and operate’ in a CBRN environment, and to effectively manage the consequences of CBRN or toxic material release in our homelands and outside our borders.
Scott Safety is a global leader in the manufacture and supply of respiratory protection equipment (RPE), with its main military and civil defence manufacturing plant based in the UK. It also has supporting hubs in the Middle East, South-East Asia, Australia, the US, Central America and Europe. The company’s product range includes military and civil defence masks, filters, powered breathing, self-contained breathing apparatus and escape systems. The company developed its cutting-edge military RPE technology in collaboration with the UK Ministry of Defence, which fields the General Service Respirator (GSR) throughout its armed forces.
High protection factor
While respiratory protection saves lives and prevents injury, it must also enable you to do your job in a contaminated environment. Enormous emphasis was therefore placed on achieving a very high protection factor. After extensive scientific tests and user trials (including desert and arctic terrain), Scott Safety developed dual seals for face-fitting, and an inner oro-nasal mask and filter. Combined with twin external filters, it has the highest protection factor on the global market for a face-fitting respirator, protecting the next generation against both current and future agents.
The ability to prevent build-up of facial perspiration within the mask, particularly in desert settings and tropical heat, is also a major improvement; previously, you either swallowed your sweat or broke the mask seal to empty it. Depending on the circumstances, this could result in forensic contamination and user safety risks.
Dual seal face fitting also enhances user comfort, assists regulation of air pressure at altitude, and supports protection against spontaneous breaching that may arise due to the percussion effect generated when firing weapons. For the specialist operator, the respirator has been conceived as a hybrid platform. Thus the military GSR export Special (GSReS) and civil protection First Responder Respirator (FRR) have the option to immediately switch from negative to positive air pressure in a contaminated environment without having to change respirators. Both masks represent cutting-edge 21st-century technology and value for money.
Innovation
Scott Safety’s investment in innovation has been key in the development of its equipment portfolio. Uniquely, the Scott respirator is a platform in itself, so it is compatible with multiple types of communication, sensor and visual aids, not only other types of breathing apparatus. The company places huge emphasis on maintaining knowledge of the contemporary and future operating environments, for instance the shift towards complex and inter-agency operations in urban and semi-urban domains.
Finally, the company is driven by innovation, while, as part of its philosophy, it has always ensured that it takes the operator with it on its research and development journey. Moving forward, this will ensure that solutions remain practical and relevant when the operational situation is complex, physically demanding and life threatening.
