Avon Protection, ST54™ SCBA

hi everyone thanks for joining us my name's sarah and i'm with federal resources federal resources is a solutions provider to our military federal government and state and local responders we partner with companies like avon to bring leading technology to our customers today we're joined by darren wolf from avon they are a provider of respiratory protection and ballistic protection and he's going to demo the st54 tactical respirator today the st54 allows users to respond and change the use of the system based on their environment so darren will go into a brief presentation about the st54 and review it for you all we'd ask that if you have any questions please use the ask a question button at the bottom of your screen you can type them on the right but um we'll be reading all questions at the end and darren will answer them live and you can vote on which questions you'd like to have answered in that ask a question box so please type them there and use that button you also can click the request to quote button at the bottom of your screen if you'd like more information on the st54 or always contact your federal resources account representative so we'll go ahead and get started again any questions bring them our way and we hope to interact with you at the end thanks all right thank you sarah yeah it's your presentation taking a minute erin yeah there we go okay good to go good great well thank you uh thank you everyone for joining today uh presentation on st54 uh just a brief introduction my name is daryn wolf i'm the global product manager for supplied air for avon protection i've been with them for five years now been in the space in general for a little over 18. so with that let's go ahead and get started i um wanted to just for those on the uh that joining us today that may not be familiar with avon protection i just wanted to take a few minutes to discuss our history and our pedigree as a global leader in the design of advanced cbr and respiratory protection briefly we were founded over 135 years ago started manufacturing gas masks since world war one several technological achievements and accolades along the way but i'll just touch on on a couple notable ones uh the first is our joint service general purpose mask contract that we were awarded in 2009 um we've supplied through that contract over two million of our m50 masks to the usdod and that's a program that was also adopted by other countries as well in 2011 we launched our taco scba program with our st-53 2013 the pc50 mask moved us into the corrections market uh we introduced avon air which is our powered air range in 2017 uh and then the sc-54 which we'll be uh we'll be talking about today uh is our second generation tactical scba we launched that in 2018 and between st53 and st54 combined right now we've got uh over 10 000 units fielded globally uh and then in 2019 the dod took uh took its next step in its cbr and respiratory protection program and uh awarded avon the m53a1 framework contract which is a five to seven year contract that includes the m53a1 mask the st54 and paper systems as well so sc54 is just one piece of a larger respiratory protection portfolio that includes you know as you can see uh filters aprs escape hoods the powered air range that that i briefly touched on as well as underwater systems then with our acquisitions of cyridine and team wendy we've expanded our product portfolio into helmets and armor with the goal of not only becoming the global leader being a global leader in cvr and respiratory protection but also in life critical personal protection on a broader scale so why develop a tactical scba uh you know historically taco operators have relied on firefighting scba um and you know those firefighting scba are are not suited to their mission profile so not stealth in nature uh heavier um you know over designed uh you know they're they're designed more for longer term operations in hot environments and uh and you know so they have to be designed to meet those requirements and because of that they tend to be a little more on the expensive side because they have to have to have that more robust requirement for you know firefighter structural firefighting so in order to kind of solve solve a problem that our customer base uh was was was coming to us with you know we really have to to look at you know what does it mean to be you know what does tactical mean um what what are tactical operations all about so it's really comes down to stealth and appearance you know you want the obviously stealth and and sound as well the ability to silence alarms uh integration with tactical ppe so you know uh vests helmets um shields uh you know gloves making sure you can you have the you know tactic you know the ability uh to operate things with a gloved hand uh front of body movements without any obstructions you know in your field of view uh and also it's very important you know they need a solution that's scalable and modular and can adjust to you know changing mission profiles changing operational environments kind of as they're happening so really at the end of the day what that all leads to is you know operators uh you know it's they want increased survivability it's not only for operators but also the civilians and reduced liability for government so uh we launched sc-53 in 2011 and that was our you know really our first response to the tactical markets need for a more fit for purpose solution uh and then as requirements and technology changed you know we listened and we developed st-54 so they do share uh some things in common uh they're both uh niosh approved with our fm53 and fm 54 respirators they're both stealth and design lower profile black footprint they both have the ability to adapt to changing operational requirements and we'll get into that in a little more detail as we talk about sd54 and how it's how it's modular and scalable they both utilize the world's smallest compact demand valve or cdv there are some some slight improvements though when it comes to the st54 variant and that you know we made it more robust than that of that the one that was on st53 and now we start getting into some of the bigger differences and feature enhancements so st54 is going to utilize a much more robust two-piece clamshell back frame design uh versus the one piece that was on st53 it's going to be definitely more comfortable uh you know the padding the wider three inch wide shoulder straps uh contoured shoulder straps the back frame is contoured uh much you know nicer ergonomics and much more comfortable it's got an enhanced cylinder retention system so st53 utilized a um more of a two-prong what we call fork uh system that the cylinder sat in st-54 utilizes a uh a much more robust more secure what we call a spoon and we'll get into some of these you know some details on these features here in a few minutes sc54 is mil-spec so it's been independent you know it's been tested fielded and proven by u.s special operations command and it's also been it's it offers a future-proof design for electronics and other feature enhancements and um uh you know we'll talk a little bit more about that in terms of the clamshell and kind of how that sets us up for for the future but at the end of the day it's our latest generation of tactical scba so let's talk about some of the the key features of st54 so we'll start with the uh with the respirator so it is approved with both the fm 53 and fm 54 uh you know key thing here is you're talking one mask for multiple missions so when it you know it streamlines your equipment needs it lowers your new equipment you know your training and your maintenance costs uh it's modular it's got what we call a vreu variable resistance exhalation unit uh that makes it capable of operating in you know both positive and negative pressure so it can be utilized as you know apr papr scba combination unit and rebreather operations it's got what we call an excellent cheek to stock well for weapon sighting so uh you know a lot of people refer to it as a shooter's mask and uh it's it's also available with some optional outsets that provide enhanced you know lens uh and eye protection um we've got you know just to name a few clear sunlight blue blocker mirrored and laser i believe and and just in general uh it's a very very comfortable mask to be in for a long term if needed with the fm 54 we also offer an optional voice projection unit um a slight difference from fm 53 to fm54 uh the voice projection unit is optional so fm 54 is nice approved with and without a vpu uh but the vpu uh really does a nice job of projecting loud and clear communications um while you're while you're on target or you know in the midst of your mission a compact demand valve so again smallest on the market uh it's got a low pro low profile design so it's not going to hinder field of view or interfere with weapon sighting it can it can be placed on the left or right side of the mask you can see in this picture it's on the left side and the right side as the filter mount plug now the filter mount plug we have a tool that can easily be removed and reinstalled on the opposite side another thing that a lot of operators do is they will utilize a system as of both apr and scba and they can do that by installing a filter on on the side opposite of the cdv the the cdv works on what we call first breath activation so it's like an instant on provides constant positive pressure uh those there's a little first breath button there that um that activates the flow of air uh once you just inhale take a deep breath um if you want to stop the flow of air at the cdv you just press that button and you know in terms of utilizing both apr and scba that's done pretty seamlessly just by changing the vru setting from positive to negative pressure so really all you would do is you would press that cdv first breath button switch over to negative pressure and you'd be breathing off your negative pressure apr through the filter if you want to switch back to positive pressure scba you change your vr eu mode selector to positive pressure put your hand over the filter cover it take a deep breath and you're back on positive pressure scba so again you know you've got that flexibility that versatility to react you know based on you know changing operational conditions mission profiles and then that feature also allows you to conserve your uh your cylinder error and use it only when you you need to when the you know the emission or the environments dictate that and then it utilizes a standard 40 millimeter thread connection to uh to attach to the mask and again that you can do that on either side this uh the back frame and harness is probably the area that changed the most from st-53 to st54 um again you know a much more uh much more comfortable design uh much more ergonomically friendly it's got contoured shoulder straps contoured back frame it's got adjustable harness assembly with a quick release metal cobra buckles that that are easy to operate and you know it's designed so that if you need to jettison drop the uh the unit you can do that quickly uh and then it's got um some other added features in terms of built-in twin carry handles a thousand pound rated and then it's got a single drag handle for red operations um you know at the top that you can see right there it's built into it stealth nature so you know designed by operators for operators so it's it's going to be fit for purpose in terms of aesthetics so it's going to be black low profile you can have the ability to deactivate alarms if and when needed it's gonna it has stealth gauge options uh and then we offer a cylinder bag option for the cylinders and uh it not only protects the cylinders but it also has a kind of a noise dampening effect you know when you're you're on target and uh you know you should bump into anything it minimizes the amount of noise that's made versus a metal on metal type of situation without the uh the bag a gauge and whistle it's got an integrated gauge and whistle assembly um you can see the remote gauge coming off of the right shoulder strap right there we offer it in three different variations we've got a um a stealth 4500 psi gauge we've got a stealth 5500 psi gauge and then we've got a dual psi luminescent gauge so three three remote gauge options there as well and then in terms of cylinder options we've got uh we offer 4 500 psi and 30 45 and 60 minute durations uh and a a longer duration 5500 psi 70 minute cylinder um the the 30 45 and 60 minute 4500 psi options are available in a natural carbon or a black stealth finish the 70 minutes only available in a black stealth finish in terms of connection options we have your your cg your standard cga 347 connection we also offer a quick disconnect option that we're in production on now uh it's not approved at this moment but um you know that will be coming and then again uh i mentioned the cylinder bags we offer those and you know a variety of different configurations fr non-fr standard and then what we call premium uh biggest difference between standard and premium is really the addition of these a large velcro panels on the side which you know are there they kind of set us up to to scale up um our capabilities which we'll talk about and add some powered air and hydration systems and so forth and then we also offer a remote what we call a remote lightning fill option you can see it coming off the the right waist strap there and and the universal rick options so really these are the these are the same fittings it's just a matter of location and ease of use so the universal rick is going to be off of the um the cylinder hand wheel assembly and it's going to require a buddy assist to charge or fill your cylinder whereas the remote lightning fill option um it's much easier access for the operator and the operator can walk up to another cylinder or filling station and easily do that themselves so sd54 you know was also designed with the ability to scale up to a combination system uh by adding our cs paper module and you can see it you know pictured here kind of the progression so cs paper is going to include your blower your battery your filters your plenum your carrier uh and what we call your uh your combination hose right there uh again you know it's very modular scalable in design it's uh the combination hose is sort of bridges the the st54 with the cs paper and allows that seamless transition without interrupting your protection levels you know to to go from apr to papr to scpa uh you know up and down as needed you know as as operational you know requirements and conditions change uh and then we also have a as part of this an automatic filter cover option as well you know that's going to you know basically allow you to when you go into scba when you're in scba mode positive pressure mode scba those will automatically shut and really kind of conserve your filters so that they're not as saturated or you you know you're not breathing in any of those types of contaminants you know once you switch back to negative pressure so that is an option with with the cspapper and and the cur in general so you know at the end of the day sc 54 you know is basically the at the heart of a more comprehensive modular scalable solution you know it it allows you to to the solution allows you to stand alone negative pressure apr positive pressure at scba with the apr as we discussed earlier uh or as a combination system apr a pr and scba all in one so that scalability that um that flexibility you know provides max you know it provides uh you know that maximum operational flexibility you know so that you can tailor your response and then even while you're in the midst of your response um it'll allow you to adapt quickly to changing conditions you know even during an operation so that you know that scalability that uh that modular uh capability um you know it's a large reason why you know it's in service with power users such as you know u.s special operations command fbi you know major police departments you know like houston boston l.a county et cetera so and again uh you know a big part of that is the fact that it's designed by operators for operators you know it's it's not taking you know taking a product design for another purpose and modifying it you know it's it's based on what tactical operators require and need for their mission so so you know sc54 is also it's it's ideal for a multitude of users and mission profiles uh military law enforcement first responders for everything from special operations counter narcotics subterranean type operations explosive ordnance disposal hazmat investigations site remediation etc in terms of approvals currently we have a niosh industrial approval with three respirators the m53a1 the fm 53 and the fm 54. there is no current standard that governs the combination unit respirators uh but as i'll i'll touch on here in a minute there there is one that that's gonna be the first standard of its kind uh in what's called nfpa 1987 that will address um requirements for combination unit respirators and then again we've got the um uh you know the testing that was done by us socom uh the seaburn testing and that was specific to the cur system so that's st54 with cspapper and m53a1 mass or respirator so you know once we launch pro the product you know the you know the innovation and the continuous improvement you know doesn't doesn't stop there you know we uh pride ourselves in listening to the voice of the customer and always looking for ways to improve performances new technologies emerged or you know customer needs change so it's not you know it's the process is not just as simple as hey you know we want to make this modification because that's what you know the the customer needs there's an approval process that has to happen uh and thus the eoa or extensions of approval gets submitted to to add those feature enhancements or you know continuous improvements so depending on the the degree of change in either fit form or function that will determine you know whether it's a long approval time frame or shorter approval so it could be anywhere from a three to nine month approval process so each time we want to make a change you know that three to month three to nine months time period could be in play depending on the degree of that change so this just highlights you know some of the changes that we've made to st54 since we launched it uh most notably adding that luminescent gauge option that dual dual 4500 5500 luminescent gauge option adding the cylinder bags to our approval matrix so that operators customers can configure sd54 with a cylinder bag and get a niosh approved unit the angled spoon so you can see that's pictured top right based on user feedback this is a you know um one of our product enhancements that we made since launch that's probably most notable uh in appearance because the the previously the spoon went straight across it was not angled so depending on the size of the cylinder it made for a little less user-friendly connection setup when you had this rick connection coming off the handwheel so to to solve that problem we we designed this angled spoon which provides uh plenty of clearance and accommodates uh all the cylinders in our offering uh with cylinder bags you know included you know that because they'll add to the footprint a little bit and then you know originally the fm 54 was uh was niosh approved at launch since then we we've added the fm 53 and m53a1 uh face pieces and then the most recent one as we um we saw a need for a shorter harness for smaller ppe footprints so if your you know your mission doesn't require a vest or you know heavy ballistic protection um so if you're a smaller operator you know depending on the operator could be smaller in stature more petite in size plus the fact that you don't have the requirement for the vest that called for a shorter harness so we quickly developed that and got it approved as well as uh as an alternative option on s254 so at the end of the day uh the takeaway is you know sd54 has continued to evolve you know since we you know originally launched it back in 2018. so that brings us to uh kind of the the next step in tax and tactical scbas and that's the nfpa 1986 standard uh so it's uh it's a more fit for purpose standard you know for for tactical and technical operations and you know we believe it's it's going to drive the next generation of tactical breathing apparatus you know just uh some highlights you know it's specific to open circuit scba in combination scba supplied air respirators um you know in in the various idlh environments you see there it's also specific to non-firefighting you know type operations so the biggest difference between you know your nfpa 1981-1982 um structural firefighting standard and 1986 is you know obviously one is specific to structural firefighting and higher higher heat types of environments for longer periods one is not you know one is you know is more geared towards you know offering you heat and flame protection but for a shorter period of time and and more for you know if you're for instance you're you know on target at a meth lab and uh you know obviously lots of explosives uh in that environment and something explodes you have a flashover you know the equipment designed to the standard will be able to you know survive that and allow you to get out of that situation so really uh 1986 is is less stringent in test requirements versus 1981-92 especially in terms of heat and flame and what we call east or end-of-service time indicators so you know 1986 again you know we believe it's going to drive the next generation of tactical breathing apparatus and it also represents the next step in our own tactical scba program also the the feature enhancements and the continuous improvement efforts that i discussed on the last slide you know they'd only they not only improved the product and the immediate but they they kind of also are done with future proving in mind and you know i've moved us closer to to meeting this standard um so after three three to four years now there are still no approved units um you know on the market due to technical challenges that are shared across the industry uh and what i'll i will say i'm i'm not able to get into specifics today in terms of timelines and and kind of some new whiz-bang features uh but i can share with with everyone that we are in development on a next generation tactical scba that will meet this standard uh with sites also set on the 1987 combination unit respirator standard that i have mentioned as well which will be the first standard specific to combination unit respirators like st54 with cspapper so with that i will open it up to questions thanks darren appreciate it and appreciate the overview we have a couple of questions just a reminder if there's any additional questions please enter them in the ask a question box at the bottom as we go through the first question is whether avon is working on developing a smaller higher pressure cylinder we are um i can't just for proprietary reasons i can't get into too much of the details on that but you know we are working on those and we've got da dot approval on smaller higher pressure cylinders as we speak that's part of another as part of another program as well okay thank you um the next question is what maintenance is required on the st54 so great question uh no periodic overhaul is needed uh really it's it's primarily your annual flow testing and your hydrostatic testing on the cylinders every five years so nothing nothing super intense at all okay great and then i think um just another question about the 1986 standard which i think you said that um you're unable to elaborate more on today and when it would be yeah right now you know what i can't share is again that you know we will definitely have a unit that meets that standard and it will be truly fit for purpose with a tactic with a tactical mask those are all thank you darren those are all the questions that we had any last-minute ones you can go ahead and put um in the box one more what training and support is available for the st54 so we're actually in the process of launching our new learning management system or lms system and that'll include our full portfolio of products um over a phased approach and it'll range from everything from operator training to um you know service level training so it's something we're really excited about and and you'll be seeing it in the very near future and then just as a note from federal resources perspective we have our own training capability as well not just related to the st54 so if there's other equipment or questions you have about fielding and understanding equipment we work with our customers to develop custom training courses and have a full catalog of training courses if you'd like to visit our website too for additional training i think that is all again if you have if you'd like to request more information or request a quote on the st54 you can go ahead and click that request to quote button this recording will be saved on the crowdcast page and we'll share it on our social channels if you'd like to refer back to it we certainly appreciate darren and avon's time and we appreciate everyone attending today thank you everyone thanks all

Channel: Federal Resources

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Id: fNGGpTOM-gM

Length: 33min 28sec (2008 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 22 2021