Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Ensembles: Biophysical Characteristics and Predicted Work Times With and Without Chemical Protection and Active Cooling Systems

Explosive ordnance disposal EOD technicians play a critical response role within law enforcement and the military. These technicians wear fully encapsulating EOD suits designed to protect the individual wearer from immediate area blast threats. While the ultimate goal of these suits is to protect EOD technicians from fragmentation and blast, the encapsulating design and significant mass of the EOD protective ensemble put significant thermal and metabolic strain on the wearer. e weight, impermeability, and highly insulated nature of these ensembles, puts individual wearers at significant risk of thermal strain and decreased work capacity. The increased weight of the ensembles e.g., 35 kg add significant metabolic demands on the individual while their capability to dissipate heat and maintain thermal homeostasis is virtually eliminated. Purposes of this report 1 document biophysical characteristics of 4 EOD configurations, 2 model thermophysiological responses as a function of each configuration, environment, and work intensity, and 3 make comparisons of modeling results to previously published human research data.