Guelph, Ontario, Canada, April 2022 – HumanSystems® Incorporated (HSI®) has been awarded a contract through the Innovative Solutions Canada program of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada to improve respiratory protection for all front-line RCMP officers.
This project follows a previous successful contract to HSI® in 2019 and 2020 to develop a similar product for military use. HSI® successfully developed a respirator hood over pressure system (Citadel™) that was targeted for prolonged use for military operations in harsh conditions. Leveraging the experience gained through the development of Citadel™, HSI® will create a solution to meet the unique needs of front-line officers (Bastion™).
“Bastion™ will explore ways to provide respiratory protection to police officers who wear beards for religious or other reasons. It will reduce risks for our police and first responder community, as well as reduce recruitment restrictions for jobs where respiratory protection is required”, says Harry Angel, the HSI® Citadel™ project manager.
With novel use of a proven Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) protection approach, Bastion™ combines an intelligent hood and blower subsystem with any certified respirator. By counteracting leaks through small gaps in the mask seal, development to date shows the Bastion™ concept (patent pending) successfully improves respiratory protection for Air Purifying Respirator (APR) users with beards or stubble over required protection levels.
The HSI® technical team, Harry Angel and Jordan Bray-Miners, bring over 35 years of experience in human factors for personal protective equipment, biomechanics and instrumentation design.
The HSI® team is proud to work with the RCMP to design the HSI® Bastion™ respiratory protection concept specifically for police or any other government agency where such protection might be needed,” says Jordan Bray-Miners P.Eng. Senior Consultant and Engineering Lead at HSI®.
Innovative Solutions Canada supports Canadian small businesses through the development of solutions from their conceptual stage, through prototype testing, capability development, and preparing a pathway to commercialization. The program includes several elements that promote collaboration between innovators, provides developmental resources and provides opportunities to interact with government stakeholders. As the single largest purchaser of Canadian goods and services, the Government of Canada is supporting the growth of Canadian innovators and entrepreneurs. For more about the program, see here: https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/101.nsf/eng/h_00000.html
About HumanSystems® (www.humansys.com)
For 40 years, with clients in Canada, the U.S. and other countries, HSI® has been a leader in human factors and human system integration support. We work in sectors including defence, emergency responders, health care, occupational safety and utilities. Individually and for teams, HSI® helps integrate people, performance and technology so systems work effectively, efficiently and safely. HSI® services include research, design, validation and training management. We focus on user fit between the abilities of the people and the technologies that together make up any system. In this way, HSI® supports product and system developers as well as procurement decision makers to reduce risks, lower life cycle costs and benefit return on investment.