South Fort Myers firm works to save those who protect us

Bodywear stops bullets, knives, shivs

BY LAURA RUANE
lruane@news-press.com

People who protect and serve stake their lives on a Southwest Florida manufacturer's work.

Survival Armor in south Fort Myers makes bodywear that stops bullets from handguns, rifle shells, knives or jailhouse shivs from penetrating the wearer's torso.

Cost of the protective apparel ranges from about $500 for a concealable vest stopping handgun bullets to as much as $1,500 for tactical vests worn outside shirts, and which have pockets for heavy ceramic tiles that diffuse the impact of rifle rounds.

It's not the biggest U.S. maker of body armor; however, the 3-year-old company is gaining fans.

"Their stuff is so well-made, it's one of the best (manufacturers) globally," said Brian Wahner, owner of Crosshairs Tactical Supply in Fort Myers. The store takes measurements and orders for Survival Armor products on behalf of customers that include the Lee County Sheriff's Office.

"The equipment performs and wears well within the parameters set, and has met our expectations," said Gary Kamp, training division captain for the Lee sheriff's Special Operations Unit.

Survival Armor employs about 15 people at its plant at International Center, 13881 Plantation Road.

Every vest is custom-made. Officers' torso and inseam measurements are entered into a digitizing board that creates a pattern. Pattern specs are wirelessly transmitted to machines that spread aramid and polyethylene fabrics to the right length, and then cut them to the correct shape.

Digital pattern-making, pattern placement and fabric cutting "allows us to cut higher plies at once. It's also more efficient and accurate," said Ken Mueller, director of operations/research and development.

Garment pieces, however, are still stitched together one at a time, by workers at industrial-grade sewing machines.

Laboratories approved by the National Institute of Justice certify body armor models for meeting standards before they go into production.

Survival Armor is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Verseidag Protection Group, which is owned by Gamma Holding N.V., a multinational firm based in the Netherlands.

Local subsidiary leaders see a secure, but not worry-free financial future.

"Even with the recession ... we had a better first quarter this year than last year," said Larry McCraney, company president.

McCraney, who wouldn't give numbers, credited revenue growth to expanding the company's sales and distribution networks.

Other factors also appear to be at play. No national count tracks how many officers wear vests; however, use of body armor got partial credit for reducing the number of police officers killed by gunfire in 2008 to its lowest level in more than 50 years. That's according to a recent report from The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Since 1987, an estimated 3,050 officers have been saved from fatal or potentially disabling injuries by body armor, according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police/DuPont Kevlar Survivors' Club.

More lives might be saved with higher rates of use, said Ed Nowicki, executive director of the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association. In some law enforcement agencies, wearing protective vests is up to the individual officer's judgment.

Thousands of officers across the country have access to, but choose not to wear, protective vests all or part of the time, Nowicki estimated in October for USA Today.

Perceived comfort seems to be the main sticking point. "People want armor that is thin, light and flexible," said Mueller at Survival Armor.

In August, U.S. Justice Department officials issued new standards for the vests. McCraney worries the new standards also could result in costlier and heavier products, possibly discouraging future use.

Money, however, might prove to be less of an obstacle than initially feared because of White House efforts.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will direct about $3.8 billion to law enforcement agencies; much of it will be used to better equip law officers, Merriman Curhan Ford analyst Eric Wold said in a March 10 note to clients that was reported by The Associated Press.