Government Security News January 2017 Digital Edition

Louisiana parish protects
children in schools with real-time
chemical detection technology
By George Lane
The RFLM (Regional Fence
Line Monitor) chemical security
network, funded by
the State of Louisiana and
the Pointe Coupe Parish
Police Jury, was demonstrated
December 2 at the
Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff ’s Office
Emergency Operations Center
in Louisiana near Baton Rouge. The
standoff sensor in RFLM detects and
identifies chemicals in real-time from
up to 3 miles away from any direction
while identifying the source of the release
with video surveillance, providing
integrated situational awareness
and CONOPS.
The RFLM chemical security network
consists of a fixed standoff
chemical detector operating with
a video camera, multiple portable
chemical detectors, a fixed video
camera, and chemical sensor data
integrated with local meteorological
data at the Pointe Coupe Parish “911”
Center.
The fixed standoff chemical detector
uses an FTIR (Fourier Transform
Infrared) sensor with a video camera.
The RAPID (Remote Air Pollution
Infrared Detector) chemical detector
George Lane
in RFLM is produced by
Bruker Detection and detects
and identifies chemical
threats and risks from 3
miles away.
Ground level video provides
surveillance of RAP-
ID as well as security and a
PZT-enabled video camera
operating on the 300-foot microwave
communication tower provides wide
area surveillance.
Primary critical infrastructure and
public health in Pointe Coupee Parish
protected by the RFLM chemical
security network include Valverda
Elementary School, Livonia High
School, and residents of the Town of
Livonia and surrounding rural areas
in Valverda, living adjacent to the
Union Pacific Rail Yard, Union Pacific’s
second largest rail yard in North
America.
RFLM uses local wind speed, direction,
and concentration to provide
location and time of impact of chemical
releases. RFLM contacts local citizens
and students, faculty, and staff in
schools at risk to chemical releases,
determining whether to evacuate or
“shelter-in-place”. Group text messaging
and social media enable real-time
response to chemical releases.
6
Current Pointe Coupee Parish
School “shelter-in-place” emergency
response procedures call for duct tape
to be used to completely seal windows
and doors to stop chemical releases.
However, if students remain in sealed
rooms, Carbon dioxide buildup in
rooms can become a major threat to
health. To mitigate these effects, activated
Carbon is added to air conditioner
filters operating in “shelter in
place” locations to provide protection
during extended chemical threats and
risks.
The RFLM chemical security network
was developed by Emergency
Response Technology (ERT) and
selected “Best Rail Yard Hazmat
Monitoring and Detection” and “Best
Integration of Cameras, Sensors,
Communications for Rail Safety” by
Government Security News (GSN)
in 2016; (http://gsnmagazine.com/
node/46657?c=airport_aviation_security).
ERT’s chemical security network
designed for the Port of Greater Baton
Rouge was selected as “Best Integrated
Harbor Security Program” by GSN
in 2015 (pages 58-59); www.yumpu.
com/en/document/view/55008535/
the-gsn-2015-digital-yearbook-ofawards.