BEND BUT DON'T BREAK: VehicleGARD Window Protection   Our Soldiers know that flying glass and debris can be just as deadly as the actual blast from an enemy explosive device. Here's a simple peel-and-stick solution for armored vehicles that solves that problem -- the VehicleGARD window film. (Photo courtesy of ShatterGARD) Sometimes the most innocuous objects prove to be the most dangerous under extreme circumstances. Case in point: the glass contained in the windows of an armored vehicle. A study done by the Oklahoma State Department of Health in 1996 examined the physical injuries and fatalities resulting from the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building. Its conclusion: "The most frequent cause of death was multiple injuries. Among survivors, soft tissue injuries, fractures, sprains, strains and head injuries were most common; these injuries were most often caused by flying glass and debris." Our Soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere around the world can relate. Military vehicles are a fact of life, as are enemy attacks -- and the possibility of shattered windows, and deadly debris. How can you minimize the potential injuries caused by flying glass, especially in the very real scenario involving an enemy's improvised explosive device (IED) detonating next to your vehicle? Soldiers who ride more than 5,000 military vehicles in Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan think they've already found the answer: a powerful film that can be applied to the windows of heavy-armored military vehicles and humvees, preventing injury from broken glass during combat situations. Meet ShatterGARD, Inc., and its headline product, VehicleGARD. Peel and Stick "VehicleGARD is providing a real and immediate benefit to the men and women in combat situations who risk their lives on a daily basis," says Jordan Frankel, Vice President of ShatterGARD. Frankel describes VehicleGARD as "a clear, Mylar film applied to the interior portion of vehicle glass. In an explosion, it keeps the glass intact -- broken, yet in one big piece. Imagine a spider web." It sounds simple, and it is. VehicleGARD essentially holds shards of broken glass in place, reducing injury during bomb blasts. The VehicleGARD film can be custom-cut to fit any window, and shipped directly to troops in "peel and stick" kits that include instructional videotapes and field installation tools for self installation. "VehicleGARD uses a non-toxic pressure-sensitive adhesive," adds Frankel. "It is incredibly strong, and will not come off glass without special chemicals." The film is optically clear and distortion free, and filters up to 98% of harmful UV radiation, protecting vehicle interiors and sensitive equipment. Tinted versions of the film can reduce glare and heat infiltration by up to 45%. The product is also extremely scratch resistant and will not yellow or distort over time. The designers at ShatterGARD took military specifications seriously when designing the VehicleGARD film. "We received several requests from the military for pre-cut window guards that were easy to apply for untrained personnel," said Frankel. "Their suggestion was an installation easy and fast enough to get a Humvee out on the field in two hours. We then took the time to develop the kit, and looked into developing a machine that would be able to custom cut each film to fit the glass size -- like a pattern. "We maintain a database of every single military vehicle and the specific measurements if the glass. Cutting VehicleGARD is as easy as typing the measurements into a machine and having it cut the film specifically for each vehicle. The troops' safety is our priority." Got a military vehicle? ShatterGARD has your window measuresments in its database (Photo courtesy of ShatterGARD). The Military Upgrade VehicleGARD was actually first developed for civilians, celebrities and law enforcement vehicles, according to Frankel -- in short, for situations where there is a threat of an attempted break-in or crude explosive device. "Its use trickled down, and eventually the military was requesting installation," Frankel says. Once they started taking military requests, VehicleGARD installations were taking place at a rate as high as 2,000 vehicles in a seven-day period. So is there any difference between the military and civilian VehicleGARD? "The product for military is considerably stronger," says Frankel. "We increased the strength of the adhesive, and developed multiple layers that adhere to each other." That standard created for the military is now implemented for everyone who uses VehicleGARD. Must-Have Gear RIFLE GRIP ENHANCER Developed by our competition shooter to improve shooter accuracy, these are a near must have for military and law enforcement personnel. Help maintain a solid and safe grip in sweat, mud, rain, and snow. In the case of an IED or flying shrapnel, VehicleGARD disperses energy across the film so that the glass does not immediately break. "In a situation like this, it is not only the concussion you have to worry about, but the shrapnel that might hit the glass as well," says Frankel. "The film is designed for both purposes. If hit with shrapnel, the glass will implode." It should be noted that VehicleGARD is not equivalent to making a vehicle invincible. "In cases in which enough explosive is used to annihilate, or destroy the entire vehicle, VehicleGARD would not withstand the impact," explains Frankel. Nevertheless, VehicleGARD seems to be making a difference with Soldiers in the field. "We frequently hear from soldiers about how our film saved lives and prevented serious injuries in combat zones," says Frankel. Captain Kathleen Jacobson, Transportation Battalion, U.S. Army, can cite cases in which an IED exploded near a military vehicle, yet the passengers remained unharmed. "I know for a fact that ShatterGARD's window film is saving lives. It takes more than an Army to win a war, and ShatterGARD contributes to the fight on a daily basis," she says. ShatterGARD is a member of the Security Industry Association (SIA) and the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals. ShatterGARD's also has a BlastGARD solution, designed to prevent glass fragmentation in buildings due to an act of terrorism, which is currently installed at more than 50 U.S. military bases worldwide. For more details on VehicleGARD, visit the ShatterGARD Website. Copyright © 2004 Military.com.