Preparedness in an ever changing world scalable multiple-application response technology

By John Breedlove, President of Intelagard, Inc.

Since the beginning of time, humans have been faced with naturally-occurring and man-made threats to their health and safety. Technology has been used to increase the effectiveness and scope of threats, as well as to remediate them. Those in the security, preparedness and defense sector understand that the combined impact of natural and man-made disasters is profound. With the advent of fourth generation or asymmetric warfare, the fight has moved from traditional battlefields to city streets and neighborhoods. Maintaining a resilient infrastructure is critical.

An international gathering on CBRN preparedness began with the discussion topic, "Are We Prepared" which quickly changed to a discussion of whether or not true preparedness for a wide range of incidents is even possible. That discussion took place before the recent influenza A/H1N1, or "Swine Flu" outbreak. Anywhere large numbers of people gather, for whatever reason, could quickly become dangerous if predictions about the next phase of the Swine Flu pandemic are correct.

The economic impact of preparedness is significant; the economic impact of being unprepared could be catastrophic. The cost of planning, purchasing technologies and solutions to remediate a wide range of incidents and training personnel represents a fraction of the cost compared to the long-term economic consequence of an infrastructure that has been damaged and rendered out-of-commission for any length of time.

Practical, realistic, cost-effective solutions do exist for a significant number of incidents. Rapid response systems and solutions that may be used for a wide variety of incidents, whether natural or man-made, are commercially available from Intelagard. Systems may be used to respond to an incident such as fire suppression, then by simply changing the formulation in the system, that same system may be used for chemical/biological decontamination operations, including cleaning rooms or buildings that may have been exposed to A/H1N1 influenza or other communicable pathogens.

For example, Intelagard's Macaw backpack can be used to decontaminate a lab one day, suppress a tire fire the next day, and suppress toxic HAZMAT vapors at the same incident. Although designed in a backpack configuration, the Macaw has been affixed to Strykers by the US Military for rapid fire suppression as well as CB decontamination. Many Macaw systems were used to decontaminate the New Orleans Sports Arena and other facilities for both biological and chemical hazards following hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Another Intelagard client purchased ATV-mounted systems for rapid fire suppression on his expansive bison ranch. After a naturally occurring outbreak of anthrax struck, the client was able to deploy EasyDECON DF200, a powerful and effective chemical/biological decontaminant, through his Intelagard system, stemming the outbreak and saving valuable animals.

Systems that represent scalable, multiple-application response technology maximize the effectiveness of budget expenditures while allowing more training time to be spent on incident response rather than system use. Systems should be airlift capable and vehicle transportable, and designed to be self-supporting and able to perform multiple functions to support a resilient infrastructure.

Intelagard systems use cutting-edge Compressed Air Foam (CAF) technology. CAF technology provides a technological advantage in that it greatly expands carried resources, such as the Macaw's ability to expand 19 liters of water and 225 mL of fire suppression foam concentrate into as much as 1,300 liters of expanded foam. Foam provides a visual reference for what has been and has yet to be covered, eliminating any guesswork in whether or not an area has been adequately treated. Compressed air foam deployed by Intelagard systems has the unique ability to adhere to inverted and vertical surfaces. This is critical for killing bacteria, viruses, and other biological agents (such as A/H1N1), as well as neutralizing chemical contaminants. When used for fire suppression, compressed air foam quickly smothers the fire and prevents re-ignition. Water damage is greatly reduced as CAF technology uses 79% less resource than when water alone is used to fight fire, and compressed air foam knocks down the fire 78% faster than using plain water.

In some instances, CAF may not be the optimal application method for decontamination operations. The same Intelagard systems can be used to deploy liquid formulations as air aspirated foam, liquid, fog or mist in addition to CAF applications. Intelagard systems are in use by the military as well as civilian first responders, Urban Search and Rescue Teams, Civil Support Teams, civil defense groups, first responders and industry. Rapid remediation and containment of an incident minimizes its impacts and economic consequences.

From Personal Protection to Wide-Area Remediation

Whether you're considering personal protection for you and your family, or have responsibility for a wider audience, Intelagard has what you need. For personal use, Intelagard offers a Personal Incident Decontamination Spray (PIDS). Intended for single-use, the PIDS is a liquid application of EasyDECON DF200 that can be used for personal decontamination in the event of a chemical or biological incident, to spray on the bottom of your shoes to kill any dangerous microbes you may encounter thus avoiding their introduction into your home or office, or to spray on bathroom fixtures, doorknobs, and other high-touch surfaces to kill Swine Flu and other viral and bacterial pathogens.

EasyDECON DF200 kills viruses, bacteria, mold, and blood-borne pathogens as well as Hepatitis A, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), influenza A/H1N1 (Swine Flu), drug-resistant Tuberculosis and more. It may also be used to contain outbreaks of animal infections and to disinfect areas where animals are housed and cared for.

Dive rescue teams have begun to use Intelagard's systems and solutions to decontaminate their dive suits and equipment. EasyDECON DF200 eliminates the smell of decomposition from dry suits and other diving/ rescue equipment by killing the bacteria that cause odors. Lowering the bacterial load that can accumulate on dive gear and equipment can help minimize some of the health-related risks associated with dive rescue operations, especially in contaminated waters and in corpse recovery operations.

Boat owners may find that having compressed air foam technology for rapid fire suppression to be a good investment. Intelagard systems have a high ratio of carried resource to finished foam. Having a portable system that rapidly suppresses fire, is easy to use and maintain, and is easily transportable can be an important on-board emergency response tool. Due to the systems' ability to expand resources and compressed air foam's advantages over water in suppressing fire, many boats could easily be saved using Intelagard's portable response systems.

For areas where traditional vehicles have little to no access, Intelagard's all-terrain vehicle systems, the SwiftCAF ATV and the larger capacity SwiftRunner UTV provide users with technologies to turn their highly mobile vehicles into rapid response multi-hazard systems. Intelagard's SwiftRunner, with up to 400-liter tank capacity, is an optimal solution in both urban and rural settings for powerful, high-mobility response.

Intelagard's family of systems also includes truck-trailer systems, skid-mounted systems, stand alone modular technologies and more. All of Intelagard's systems use advanced compressed air foam technology that can deploy multiple liquid as well as foam solutions for a variety of situations.

Next Generation Technology

Saving lives and property has always been Intelagard's mission. In that regard, Intelagard continually strives to better its technology to meet the demands of that mission. On-Demand Decontamination is cutting-edge, next-generation technology that allows users to create and customize, on-site and on-demand, decontaminant solutions appropriate to the incident at hand. With predictions of an impending pandemic, one of the first uses of On-Demand Decontamination may well be influenza remediation. Because the powerful and environmentally benign On-Demand formulations may be deployed as mist or fog, this could be the optimal remediation tool of choice for areas where a large numbers of people congregate. The ability to generate and 'dial in' a series of highly effective remediation formularies, and deploy them from the same equipment platform as liquid, expanded foam, fog or charged mist, provides unequalled efficiency and versatility for decontamination technology. While highly beneficial, the application of this technology would barely be noticeable. The same systems can also be used to generate effective radiological remediation formulas for the efficient removal and collection of isotopic contaminants.

By transporting a series of dry base components and concentrated additives, logistical concerns are kept to an absolute minimum. The On-Demand creation and application of tailored formulations may present the unique ability to perform valuable and cost-effective decontamination for true wide-area incidents. In the event of a pandemic outbreak, whether influenza or even agricultural microbes, it is likely that large areas will need to be efficiently disinfected quickly and with minimal environmental impacts. Legacy decontamination technologies based on the blending, packaging, transport, storage and deployment of often costly chemical formulations will probably not be able to meet the need. Generating formulas that are specifically designed for the task at hand, and deploying them as needed for maximum effectiveness, represents a major step forward for decontamination capabilities in a wide variety of settings.

In an ever changing world, it may not be possible to always be prepared for every incident, but it is possible to prepare for many of them. While preparedness and response is up to you, Intelagard can provide the tools.