Spotlight on Science & Technology (S&T) at Valcartier

Analyzing personal protective equipment for increased protection

DRDC’s analysis of personal protective equipment
ensures that Canadian Forces personnel in theatre
have equipment that helps to keep them safe while
also being functional

DRDC collaborates with the Canadian Forces to conduct research into and analysis of the personal protective equipment that soldiers use in theatre, with the goal of protecting soldiers to the highest possible degree. DRDC, the Canadian Forces Environmental Medicine Establishment (CFEME) and the Department of National Defence embarked on an initiative to extract lessons learned from the personal protective equipment of each Canadian Forces fatality in Afghanistan.

When fatalities occur amongst Canadian Forces personnel, a multidisciplinary team from DRDC, the CFEME and the Department examines the soldiers’ personal protective equipment. The team comprises medical officers, life support equipment specialists, and experts in human factors, ballistics and blast.

The results of the analysis have helped to prioritize projects concerning personal protective equipment and vehicle protection, and to develop tactics, techniques and procedures. Under the auspices of the Casualty Protective Equipment Analysis (CASPEAN) project, the initiative was recently expanded to include the analysis of equipment of wounded soldiers.