RDC Protective Helmet Standards Review Informs Requirements, Procurement

PRINT | E-MAIL

Sept. 14, 2017 —

RDC test helmets

Boarding team members, such as this boarding team from Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk conducting joint boardings with a Sierra Leone law enforcement detachment, must wear head protection during operations. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Victoria Bonk.

The Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) completed a review of standards for personal protective helmets in February, and the recommendations from that review are informing the service’s ongoing purchase of new equipment.

The RDC project gathered information on boat crew mishaps over a 14-year period, evaluated how well the helmets protected crewmembers in those accidents, and recommended strategies to provide adequate protection at a reasonable cost. The recommendations informed the Office of Boat Forces’ requirements and request for proposal (RFP) to purchase up to 15,200 boat crew helmets. The service is evaluating industry proposals based on the RDC’s recommendations.

A recent Coast Guard Compass blog post highlights the project in more detail.

For more information: Research, Development, Test and Evaluation program page

Keyword

The U.S. Department of Defense is committed to making its electronic and information technologies accessible to individuals with disabilities in accordance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended in 1998. DoD websites use the WCAG 2.0 AA accessibility standard.

For persons with disabilities experiencing difficulties accessing content on a particular website, please use the form DoD Section 508 Form. In this form, please indicate the nature of your accessibility issue/problem and your contact information so we can address your issue or question. If your issue involves log in access, password recovery, or other technical issues, contact the administrator for the website in question, or your local helpdesk.