The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) released a request for information on multi-spectrum laser protective eyewear that meets the needs of law enforcement and emergency response agencies. The technologies will be included in a market survey conducted by S&T’s National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL). Interested industry partners have until 5:00 p.m. EDT on September 10, 2021 to submit their products for inclusion.
Laser protective eyewear is used to protect emergency responders from laser pointer attacks during civil unrest, protests and other types of mass gatherings. The market survey will look at glasses, goggles, face shields and protective films that block multiple spectrums of laser light in the green, blue, violet, red and/or near-infrared spectrums.
“Laser protective eyewear can be just as important as body armor and other types of protective gear worn by frontline emergency responders,” stated NUSTL engineer Rob Casparro, who is the technical project lead. “Powerful laser pointers have the potential to pose serious threats to law enforcement and security personnel. They can obstruct their line of sight and cause temporary or permanent vision loss.”
Once completed, the market survey report—produced by NUSTL’s System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) program—will be posted to the SAVER Document Library on the S&T website, where the findings can be accessed by state, local, tribal, and federal response agencies making procurement decisions about this type of technology.
For more information on the RFI prior to the September 10, 2021, submission deadline, visit https://sam.gov/opp/deb302555a894a3cb23e4e3114722914/view
For more information on the SAVER program, visit the SAVER website at https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/saver.
