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 environmentnearly
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.
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