The Science Behind the Service

HONOURARY LT.-COL. BRINGS HIS is simply the unrelenting application of mechanism of injury itself. SKILLS TO 39 SIGNAL REGIMENT hard science in his chosen field, injury He went on to pursue a Bachelor’s biomechanics. degree in Kinesiology at Simon Fraser e has the name, and bearing, “There is real power in the quantification University. He followed that with a of a Norse God of injury,” Desmoulin says, describing Master’s of Science in Kinesiology the focus of GTD Engineering, the specializing in biomechanics then HSix-foot-four Geoffrey Thor company he founded in 2009. “We look through Biomedical Engineering at Desmoulin, Honourary Lieutenant- through the eyes of the engineer at the Michigan’s Wayne State University, Colonel to 39 Signal Regiment, has forces applied to the body, how those achieved a second Masters, specializing even dabbled in mythology – co- forces result in injury and how we can in injury biomechanics before earning hosting Spike TV’s popular show go about preventing them. We hope to his doctorate at the University of Deadliest Warrior, which pitted history’s save lives and prevent injury, that’s as Calgary in Mechanical Engineering also best fighters against one another in simple as it gets.” with a specialization in biomechanics. theoretical contests. That credo has been motivating The long path through academia has But there is nothing mythical about Desmoulin ever since, as a earned Desmoulin and GTD, with its Desmoulin’s career of non-stop 20-something, he enrolled with the 13 associates, a true niche position in achievement, articulated in a 16-page Calgary Highlanders as an infanteer. industry. résumé whose highlights include Later he joined Canmore Emergency Half of the company is geared towards award-winning CISM athlete, inventor, Services as a firefighter and emergency Research and Development, studying karate black-belt, double Master’s medical responder, where he learned the causes of injury in the hopes of degree holder and doctor, with a PhD in how to treat and stabilize injuries. But developing new protective equipment Mechanical Engineering. after suffering a career-ending injury, and devices. Indeed, the hammer this Thor wields Desmoulin became fascinated in the

8 BC SOLDIER • 39 Canadian Brigade Group FALL 2017 • Edition 18 For instance, a 2012 paper, Blast But for Desmoulin there remains a firm Mitigation Status of Police Crowd distinction between the fun and games Management Ensembles, saw of Deadliest Warrior and the gravity of Desmoulin’s team load crash-test his current appointment at 39 Signal dummies with accelerometers and over- Regiment. He has a true leader’s pressure sensors, then subject them commitment to the men and women he to blasts from plastic explosives. The represents. aim was to determine the limitations “Politicians make decisions, senior of riot gear in protecting officers from officers and NCOs give orders, and explosive blasts. soldiers carry them out, even though GTD’s other half is dedicated to doing so could put their lives in grave litigation support. Using injury danger,” Desmoulin says. “That to me biomechanics, incident reconstruction shows the biggest heart I could ever and a term Desmoulin has trademarked, imagine in a personality. That deserves the “Science of Violence©”, GTD aims care, and that’s what I wanted to give to discover causal links in the interplay back.” between accidents, injuries and He hopes during his tenure to be an protective equipment. advocate for his soldiers, drawing on That means acting as an expert witness his own experience with causality to in cases involving car accidents, falls, help connect them with the public they sports injuries, aircraft crashes, etc. serve. Specific to the Science of Violence©, “People see a uniform and their Desmoulin has developed a unique understanding stops there,” he says. capability understanding human conflict “But soldiers, Reservists, they’re people, interactions in domestic abuse cases, too. They could be sitting beside you home invasion defence, and the injury at work. They have lives, families, potential of weapons or objects. responsibilities like everyone else, as It was this latter area of study that well as this enormous commitment to helped Desmoulin become a celebrity. their country. People need to see that For three years, he lent his engineering human connection. When they do, the and biomechanical skills to Deadliest general population will support them. Warrior. Each of the 33, 1-hour And then voting, funding, all those episodes, still in repeats around the decisions that affect soldiers will start to word, were essentially experiments, change for the better.” hypothesizing whether Genghis Khan could defeat an Apache warrior, or predicting who would prevail should a Shaolin Monk have ever crossed paths with a Maori.

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