A front-and-rear vest protects the chest and back — and leaves the sides open. The lateral torso is exposed every time the wearer turns, climbs into a vehicle, or works from a side-on position, and oblique or side-angle rounds can defeat a strictly front-rear configuration. The NAR Responder Ballistic Vest Cummerbund extends the vest’s Level IIIA protection around the sides of the body, covering the lateral chest and upper flank where the gaps live.
Your plates cover front and back. What protects the line your arms swing past every time you turn?
NAR built the Responder Cummerbund for a category often overlooked in armor design: Fire/EMS personnel who may wear ballistic protection not only for rescue-task-force activations but as part of daily response posture. At 22 × 6 × 0.5 in and 1.71 lb, the panel stays slim enough to wear beneath turnout gear or an EMS jacket without excessive bulk, and light enough for all-day wear. Maximum 52 in. waist expandability fits the range of body sizes across a fire or EMS service.
Why This Panel
Wraps Level IIIA coverage around the lateral torso — the chest and flank zones a front-rear vest leaves open during turning, vehicle ingress/egress, and side-on working positions.
Slim 0.5 in. profile and 1.71 lb weight keep the panel wearable beneath turnout or EMS layers for full shifts — not just short RTF activations.
Beyond baseline IIIA: confirmed against 9mm SXT, 5.7×28 SS195/SS197, .40 S&W, and RCC fragment simulants from 2 to 64 grains — relevant to blast and secondary-device threats.
Orange and yellow reflective colorways give fire/EMS personnel night-scene visibility consistent with the high-visibility principles behind NFPA and ANSI PPE standards.
Color Options
| Solid Colorways | Reflective Colorways |
|---|---|
| Black | Black w/Orange Reflective |
| Coyote Tan | Black w/Yellow Reflective |
| Red | Coyote w/Orange Reflective |
| Navy Blue | Coyote w/Yellow Reflective |
| — | Navy w/Yellow Reflective |
| — | Red w/Orange Reflective · Red w/Yellow Reflective |
Ballistic Test Data
| Threat | Result |
|---|---|
| V50 — .357 SIG 125gr TMJ | 1,867 ft/s · P-BFS avg 27.3 mm |
| V50 — .44 Mag 240gr JHP | 1,661 ft/s · P-BFS avg 36 mm |
| V50 — 9mm 127gr SXT | 1,754 ft/s · P-BFS avg 24.6 mm |
| P-BFS — .40 cal 165gr GDHP | 27.2 mm |
| P-BFS — 5.7×28 27gr SS195 / SS197 | 17 mm / 19.3 mm |
| Fragmentation — 2gr RCC | 3,060 ft/s V50 |
| Fragmentation — 64gr RCC | 1,866 ft/s V50 |
Test data as published by North American Rescue. Soft armor protects against the threats for which it is certified and tested; it is not rated against rifle-caliber rounds. Refer to NAR documentation and your agency’s armor policy for fitting and threat-level selection.
Who Wears It
Daily-wear lateral protection with reflective options for night-scene visibility on the responder vest system.
Closes side coverage for cross-trained personnel entering warm-zone active-violence incidents.
Lateral soft-armor coverage for officers building out the NAR Responder Ballistic Vest IIIA system.
Build The System
The cummerbund is one component of the NAR Responder Ballistic Vest IIIA system. Round out coverage and trauma capability.
House and position the cummerbund armor on the vest platform.
Front-of-armor trauma load for the responder vest.
Full ballistic protection platforms and carriers.
Up Close
Level IIIA lateral protection, special-threat and frag tested, slim enough to wear every shift.
Specifications
| Protection Level | NIJ 0101.06 Level IIIA + special-threat tested |
| Dimensions | 22 × 6 × 0.5 in |
| Weight | 1.71 lb |
| Maximum Waist | 52 in. |
| Attachment | Multiple MOLLE attachment points |
| System | NAR Responder Ballistic Vest IIIA system |
| PFAS-Free | Yes |
| Manufacturer | North American Rescue |
Related searches: NAR responder cummerbund, ballistic vest side armor, Level IIIA cummerbund, Fire EMS soft armor, reflective ballistic cummerbund, lateral torso armor, rescue task force armor.
All products sourced direct from North American Rescue. CoTCCC recommendation status verified where applicable. Ships from MED-TAC International, Pembroke Pines, FL — clinician-founded, veteran-led, SDVOSB-certified.
Available Options:
- Black
- Coyote Tan
- Red
- Navy Blue
- Black w/Orange Reflective
- Black w/Yellow Reflective
- Coyote w/Orange Reflective
- Coyote w/Yellow Reflective
- Navy w/Yellow Reflective
- Red w/Orange Reflective
- Red w/Yellow Reflective
Specifications coming soon. Contact us for detailed product information.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
