Fort's firefighter units show new technologies to be marketed to civilians
BY SUE M. MORGAN
Staff Writer

 

FORT MONMOUTH -- A camera-equipped vest that monitors the wearer's vital signs and a robot that can take samples of hazardous chemicals might sound like something out of a science fiction movie, but those technologies are on their way out of this military base's research laboratories.

Picking the brains and drawing upon the personal experience of Fort Monmouth's own firefighters, police force and other emergency personnel, the base's civilian engineers are now custom designing some technical communication devices relied on by the soldiers in battle for use by America's other heroes who rush to the scenes of blazes, explosions and other disasters.

Though some of the new technologies, including an advanced mobile command center and a geographical positioning system (GPS) that tracks chemical clouds, are not readily available at present, Fort Monmouth Fire Chief John C. Erichsen is thrilled to see the tools that will ultimately help protect the lives of first responders and those they serve.

Erichsen and members of his department, along with Fort Monmouth police and rescue units, joined engineers from the U.S. Army's Communications -- Electronics, Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) in demonstrating some of those technologies last week outside of the laboratories on base where they first came into being.

"This technology has been unseen before," Erichsen said during a media briefing prior to the start of the hour-long demonstration.

The various devices, known collectively as The First Responder -- Response Operations Center, were developed by CERDEC's Space and Terrestrial Communications Directorate (S&TCD), according to press materials.

Had it been available at the time the twin towers of the World Trade Center fell on Sept. 11, 2001, Response Operations Center (ROC) might have helped prevent the communications breakdown between rescuers inside the destroyed buildings and their command posts, according to CERDEC's presenters.

"The idea for this system stemmed from the communications breakdowns on September 11," said Sharon Mackey, chief of S&TCD's Network Operations Branch. "Fire and police departments didn't know where their people were. The commanders didn't have the information they needed."

Closer to home and more recently, the ROC could have been beneficial when Fort Monmouth's firefighters assisted at the scene of the Petco explosion on March 4 in Eatontown, Erichsen noted.

While searching for Petco manager Jennifer Rohan, who was trapped in the store's basement under rubble from the collapsed sales floor and roof, Erichsen temporarily lost touch with his firefighters due to sudden flooding in the building's lower level.

Though communications were soon restored and Rohan was rescued, Erichsen eagerly welcomes the technology that could have avoided the brief breakdown.

"We need this technology yesterday," Erichsen said.

Using the ROC to maintain contact between rescuers and command posts as well as among various police, fire, and rescue units at a scene should be "standard operating procedure within five years," according to Erichsen.

While CERDEC's engineers originally created the devices for soldiers who currently use it on the battlefield, the technologies can be adapted for homeland security purposes and specifically for first responders, he added.

"It's war fighter to firefighter. Tactical to practical," Erichsen said.

CERDEC's engineers consulted Fort Monmouth's civilian fire department, a company of 40 full-time firefighters that functions as Monmouth County's hazardous material (HAZMAT) response unit, when they began adapting the ROC and other devices for use by first responders, he explained.

"The firefighters are designing [the technologies] with the engineers," Erichsen said. "By the time this hits the field, emergency responders will have something they can use every day."

Mounted inside the back of a humvee, one invention known as the TrekSat developed in part by CERDEC engineers and TAMSCO of West Long Branch allows different police, fire and rescue units from multiple jurisdictions to communicate with each other on a common wavelength at a disaster scene.

The TrekSat is a "hub system" that allows those units to talk to each other regardless of the varying UHF and VHF frequencies, according to S&TCD Director Gary Blohm.

Those communications between units can be transmitted via a satellite dish mounted on top of the humvee, to federal, state and county communications centers, Blohm explained.

The "HazBot," a robot operated remotely from the ROC can be used to detect chemicals or poisons through sensors and cameras prior to rescuers entering a disaster area, Erichsen explained.

Any samples of hazardous materials can then be transmitted using the ROC's satellite equipment to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for identification, he went on.

Another scenario presented by CERDEC engineers showed how a GPS, similar to those used in some newer vehicles, can be used to help first responders track chemical spills and any resulting noxious plumes that threaten a particular location.

By tracking the chemical cloud and drawing upon weather information, first responders are better able to plan any needed evacuation, presenters said.

Finally, the wearable vest, as modeled by two Fort Monmouth firefighters, is what will allow incident commanders to track firefighters inside a burning or collapsed structure, Erichsen said.

"The incident commander can see what the firefighter sees, what other firefighters see," Erichsen said. "This is going to save lives."

The vest, equipped with its own optical equipment, a computer, camera and video monitoring equipment, a rechargeable battery pack, and a cellular telephone, weighs about 12 to 15 pounds, according to Vikas Gumbar, a CERDEC project leader.

Moreover, the vest contains sensing equipment that monitors the wearers' heart rate and other vital signs, Erichsen said.

All of the information including data about the environmental conditions inside the building the responder is in is sent back to the ROC where commanders can track it, Gumbar said.

The vest's features can help prevent any potential tragedy for police officers called to a hostile situation where responders might have difficulty seeing each other inside a building according to Fort Monmouth's Chief of Police Daniel A. Hoppe Sr.

"We can guide [officers] from outside the building," Hoppe said. "It's life-saving. That's how important it is."

CERDEC is still working on perfecting the technology in the vest by reducing the size and weight of its extra features and possibly incorporating the equipment into the rescuers' uniforms.

Hoppe is confident that the ROC system which he describes as "science fiction that's here today," will be invaluable.

"In my 35 years of law enforcement, this is the most exciting development I've ever seen," he said.

Once available for market, CERDEC plans to sell its products to fire and police departments nationwide, presenters said.