NCJ Number
192509
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 49 Issue: 12 Dated: December 2001 Pages: 94-97
Date Published
December 2001
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the Scott Swat-Pak, a new tactical protection for the law enforcement community against terrorist weapons.
Abstract
While gas masks have long been the first line of defense for the military and law enforcement against all forms of chemical and biological warfare agents, there is a new personal protective device on the market named the Scott Swat-Pak. The Swat-Pak is designed to give tactical law enforcement the capability to work in a contaminated environment without having to worry if their gas masks are capable of filtering the agent that exists in the target area. It is unparalleled in its usefulness in hazardous environments. The Swat-Pak has been developed to assist tactical officers during their entries into suspected hazardous atmospheres. It shines during entry into atmospheres that have not been diagnosed for the active agents in the atmosphere. Gas masks require a sufficiently oxygenated atmosphere in order to sustain an officer. Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) such as the Swat-Pak do not require an outside atmosphere because all the air the officer will require is held in the air tank. The Swat-Pak tank has a Kevlar wrapped aluminum tank of 30 or 60 minute duration. Designed to function as part of the overall protective apparel package, the Swat-Pak is easy to don even while wearing tactical level body armor. The Swat-Pak also has a redundant air management system. If the primary system is compromised or in some way damaged, the vibrator will alert the officer that the unit has had a failure and if at all possible the officer must retire from the area. Overall the Swat-Pak is a well thought out piece of gear that is unequaled in its ability to protect officers in hazardous or contaminated environments, no matter what the contagion or material.