Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
VESTS FOR CORRESPONDENTS
What individuals in the private sector will need this type of protection?
One obvious use is by the literally hundreds of correspondents reporting
from war zones or where the risk of terrorist attack is great. TV footage
from Iraq, Afghanistan, and the West Bank shows many reporters clad in
flack jackets and wearing ballistic helmets. While from watching such
footage it is largely impossible to determine the type of ballistic materi-
als under the vest carriers, it is easy to evaluate the design of the carrier
itself and determine if the level of protection provided to the correspon-
dent is sufficient. More often than not, the designs provide insufficient
amounts of coverage. In addition, the design of virtually every collar or
throat guard is seamed and not fashioned out of a solid continuous piece
of ballistic material. A seamed collar is worthless if it is struck. A round or
bullet or shell fragment will take the path of least resistance and go right
through the unprotected seam into the wearer's body. Even a small lacer-
ation to the carotid artery will likely prove fatal absent immediate med-
ical care. Vests must be designed to provide as much coverage as possible
and more than just “cosmetic” protection to vital areas. Vests need to have
pockets to accommodate hard armor that is capable of defeating military
rifle rounds. Hard-armor plates (see Exhibit 9.6) should cover the vital
organs of the chest in both the front and back of the vest.
Correspondents need to become more familiar with ballistic vests and
need to use the equipment appropriate to the threats they are likely to
Exhibit 9.6
Rifle-Resistant Hard Armor Plates from Armor Holdings, Inc.
Photo courtesy of Armor Holdings, Inc.
