The first purpose designed escape hood to protect against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) agents, has been recommended by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Police Federation to equip all the UK’s operational police officers at times of heightened security awareness.   The EH20 escape hood developed by Avon Protection, a division of Avon Rubber plc, is entering service with a number of UK police forces as well as police services in other countries.  The UK National Health Service has also procured the hood to provide escape protection to operatives who are potentially at risk, such as ambulance crews. 

Bob Elder, who has a lead on CBRN issues for The Police Federation of England and Wales, representing 140,000 officers, commented, “We think the EH20 is a vital piece of equipment for colleagues that are not CBRN trained. It is important that any operational officer who is caught up in a CBRN incident, has instant access to this protection to enable them to respond to the immediate situation and ensure their safe and quick withdrawal”.

The EH20 hood is fully CE approved by TNO and meets the specification of the UK Police National CBRN Centre at Winterbourne Gunner.   Following a competitive tender in 2006 Avon Protection was awarded a contract by OGCbuying.solutions to supply the EH20 to Government bodies such as the Police and Ambulance services.

Specifically designed for `First Responders` - police, paramedics and fire crews - the hood provides instant protection if they are caught in a CBRN incident. It provides a high level of respiratory, eye and face protection from principal CBRN agents for at least 20 minutes to allow sufficient time to escape from a contaminated area.   The hood represents a breakthrough in protection for first responders as until its launch last year no such capability was available in a sufficiently small and compact size to be easily carried on operations. The hood is stored in a vacuum-sealed pouch small enough to wear on a belt and when needed, the one-size- fits-all hood can be donned within 30 seconds over beards, long hair and even glasses.    It requires minimal training to use and has a 10 year shelf life and no maintenance.   

Made of clear polyurethane, the EH20 not only protects against all airborne CBRN threats but also protects the face from splashes of agent.  The clear material has a number of advantages; it gives a non threatening appearance, aids with recognition and also allows for better visual and verbal communication.  Twin low profile filters on a unique hinge system feature the very latest membrane technology which reduces breathing resistance and also ensures ease of putting on.
 
Jim Naylor, Sales and Marketing Manager at Avon Protection, said, “The support of ACPO and the Police Federation in addition to the procurements by the NHS and UK and overseas police forces demonstrate the urgent need for the instant protection the EH20 provides to our emergency services personnel against today’s terrorist threat”.
 
Notes for Technical Editors
The outstanding technical achievement of the EH20 is its small, compact packaged size and ability to fit over the majority of head sizes and shapes (ie ‘one size fits all’), combined with providing a high level of protection from CBRN agents for up to 20 minutes.  Previously escape hoods were either too bulky to carry conveniently or unable to match the high Protection Factor of 2000 provided by the EH20.
 
The EH20 weighs less than 500g and is the first approved CBRN Escape Hood that can be carried easily on the person.  It is vacuum sealed in an impermeable foil bag and then stored in a durable, reinforced pouch which can be easily attached to a belt or kept in a briefcase, glove compartment or drawer.  It has a shelf life of 10 years when correctly stored.
 
Transparent polyurethane is used to protect the head area and gives a wide and clear field of view, allowing for instant identification of personnel at an incident and protection against splashes of agent to the face area. Polyisoprene is used to provide the highly elastic non-skin irritant neck seal, which can stretch by up to 800% to allow the hood to be donned quickly and easily.  Polyisoprene was chosen for the neck seal due to its ability to form a leak tight seal around a large range of neck sizes whilst remaining comfortable to wear.     
 
The EH20 features twin low-profile folding filters, that contribute significantly to the compact size.  The filters protect the wearer against gases, particles and biological  materials such as bacteria and viruses. Particle protection is achieved by utilising the latest PTFE controlled pore size membrane technology for high efficiency particle removal to P3 level. Gaseous protection is provided by activated charcoal formulated specifically to provide protection against a wide range of gases, including nerve agent, blood agent, blister and choking agents and a range of Toxic Industrial Chemicals. .