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The PROTECT system allows emergency responders above the Washington, D.C., Metro to safely execute rescues from above ground by providing wireless communications and video from underground. |
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(Top) During the emergency simulation, smoke acts as a safe stand-in for a toxic material that could be spread throughout the subway system. Meteorological equipment measures the amount of escaping smoke. (Bottom) Activity in the station is relayed to the subway operation center via video. |
Subway emergency response time slashed |
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Response time for a system to protect subways against chemical attacks by terrorists was cut to five minutes from 35 minutes in a recent test at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in Washington, D.C. The system, developed by Argonne, Sandia and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories, is named “Program for Response Options and Technology Enhancements for Chemical/Biological Terrorism.” “The PROTECT system ties together detection, communication and rapid determination of response strategies to save lives,” said Tony Policastro, Argonne’s PROTECT program manager. Terrorists have made public transportation a new theater of operations. Subways are ideal targets for chemical or biological terrorism because perpetrators have easy access; they can attack anonymously and escape before being detected. And subways attract crowds to a contained environment—nearly half a million patrons travel on the Washington, D.C., system on an average day. Attacking a subway affects the city above ground, as trains move the contamination through the tunnels and trains, spreading the chemical or biological agents to the streets through station entrances, exits and ventilation shafts. The PROTECT system includes detectors that sense chemical agents, video for incident verification, a computer program to model the spread of contamination in the subway, above-ground flow modeling for dispersion of toxic materials from street vents and station exits and wireless communication for emergency responders. When PROTECT is triggered, video cameras verify the attack, alarms sound at the subway operation center, and operators are directed through a set of optimized responses shown on computer screens. The system provides immediate response protocols that vary depending on the amount and toxicity of the chemical released. PROTECT also estimates which stations and trains are contaminated and predicts whether contamination is likely to spread to the street. Wireless communications at the scene allow emergency workers such as fire chiefs and emergency teams to execute rescues safely from above ground. Additionally, by having wireless access to video from underground, emergency personnel can make decisions regarding the number of victims or search for secondary devices that might endanger rescuers. PROTECT incorporates software originally designed to evaluate ventilation alternatives in extreme pressure, humidity and temperature as the trains move throughout the system, and to model emergency ventilation systems efficiency in fire or smoke. The software can also be used as a planning and simulation tool. PROTECT is being expanded throughout the Washington, D.C., system. Argonne is also working with the Chicago Transit Authority and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Similar demonstrations will take place in airports and buildings. Although the system is limited to detecting chemicals, it may one day be updated to integrate biological detectors. PROTECT is funded by the departments of Energy, Transportation and Justice. For more information, please contact Evelyn Brown. |