Luna’s Base Ensemble Uniform Technology on Display on Capitol Hill

First responders in the police, fire, and EMS community commonly enter situations with unknown threats wearing only standard duty uniforms.  These uniforms offer little to no protection against atypical threats.  Higher level protection is available with Multi-threat Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and it is capable of withstanding chemical/biological, cut, and puncture hazards, but they either do not exist in one garment or are bulky and unable to be worn at all times. Additionally, the cost of these PPE items is prohibitive to be used as duty uniforms.  Luna’s team, working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is leveraging our textile expertise to develop multi-threat duty uniforms that are lightweight, breathable and can be used as everyday uniforms providing protection against uncommon threats. 

Luna’s team has combined a suite of protective technologies to develop a light weight Base Ensemble uniform that can be worn daily and will be capable of withstanding potential hazards for a limited period of time.  One of the advanced technologies utilized by the garment is superior fluid repellency, which is achieved via the use of an optimized, antimicrobial enhanced version of Luna’s Ultra EverShield™.    Ultra-EverShield™ was developed by Luna and is now a commercially available product, licensed and distributed through Ultratech International.

Luna’s first responder Base Ensemble garment concepts were on display on Capitol Hill at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate‘s (S&T) First Responder Technology Hill Day at the Rayburn House Office Building (Washington, D.C.) on 15 June, 2016. In attendance were Congressional representatives and DHS officials.  Luna was particularly excited that Congressman Morgan Griffith came to see the Base Ensemble display.  Luna invited Congressman Griffith as he represents Virginia's 9th congressional district, which includes Luna’s Blacksburg, Virginia office.  The event was highly successful in demonstrating and promoting the technologies being developed for the first responder community.