"Our Emergency Response product suite comprises cutting-edge solutions for emergency responders who are tasked with quickly identifying and responding to evolving threats," said Stephen Phipson, group managing director of Smiths Detection. "The combination of our two advanced technology products provides the U.S. Air Force's emergency responders with a wide range of detection capabilities for potentially hazardous chemicals."
In response to the recent funding made available through the USAF Emergency Response Program, the Air Force has deployed these systems to their Civil Engineering Readiness and Fire teams, who will use the equipment to identify Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs), Toxic Industrial Materials (TIMs) and other unknown liquid, solid or vapor threats, in seconds.
"AFCESA's addition of the HazMatID and APD2000 brings a whole new level of chemical detection capabilities to Air Force Emergency Responders," said Mark Laustra, vice president and general manager, Smiths Detection's Homeland Security. "We have worked closely with the Air Force on the initial implementations and look forward to a long-term relationship of adding premiere detection products coupled with our world class service and unmatched Reachback support."
HazMatID
The HazMatID is a portable chemical identifier used to distinguish between thousands of unknown or suspicious materials, including "white powders," chemical warfare agents, TICs, TIMs, household chemicals, explosives and other substances. The HazMatID library contains over 5,000 different materials. Requiring no sample preparation by the operator, the system identifies a substance or compound in seconds using infra-red technology. The HazMatID's reliability, durability and intuitive interface have made it the tool of choice for thousands of federal, state and local response teams.
APD 2000
The APD 2000 is a handheld chemical agent detector used by military and civil emergency responders to detect and identify chemical warfare agents and other hazardous compounds. In addition, the APD 2000 also includes gamma radiation detection and remote communication capabilities. With thousands of units in use around the world, the APD 2000 has become a standard piece in the emergency responder's toolbox since its launch in the late 1990s.