One of the many challenges police departments face is keeping pace with the illegal tactics and products would-be criminals are always attempting to propagate. Whether they are new drugs, new weapons, or just a new way of skirting justice, there always seems to be something different on the scene.
This is perhaps most true—and most dangerous—in the area of hazardous materials. Fortunately, several manufacturers are working to equip law enforcement with the tools they need to handle threats involving hazardous materials with maximum efficiency and effectiveness.
Detection
As many officers know, fentanyl is a popular intoxicant for many drug abusers. The synthetic opioid is one of the most widely abused pharmaceuticals in the United States. The National Forensic Laboratory Information System revealed last year that state and local labs reported 3,344 fentanyl seizures in 2014, up from 942 in 2013.1
What makes fentanyl particularly dangerous to police officers, though, is that is can be manufactured and distributed in inhalant form, which means officers could unintentionally inhale it when responding to a drug call. It has a rapid onset, meaning its potentially debilitating effects can set in within seconds of exposure.
“It gets in the air, and even a low amount can cause bodily damage,” said Eric Roy, strategic program manager with Cobalt Light Systems, a British company.2
Exposure to fentanyl—and a host of other hazardous materials—can be greatly reduced by using RapID, a portable materials identification and verification system. To do its work, RapID uses Raman laser spectroscopy, which provides a safe, fast, reliable, and accurate means of identifying unknown solids and liquids. The device detects the chemical fingerprint of a given substance and compares it against the chemicals in its customizable library.
But plenty of other hazmat detectors also use this sort of methodology. What sets RapID apart, Roy said, is its ability to see through walls. “We’re the only people who can make a detection through opaque surfaces,” Roy said. “You just point and shoot, and the software does the rest.”3
Launched in April 2016, RapID can detect materials through opaque and colored sacks, tubs, bottles, and other surfaces. It can do so in just seconds. This capability helps officers avoid the contamination issues that can arise when a given container must be opened to obtain a material sample for detection. And, of course, with new hazardous materials or explosives always possible, not having to open or puncture a container is a huge boon to officer safety.
“Officers could open up a package and wear gloves, but moving something even a little bit can be dangerous; it could be the difference between a positive ID and a detonation,” Roy explained. “Now, you can do it through the container. It really reduces the risk.”4
In addition to police customers, Roy said a number of large fire departments and military entities use RapID. In addition to its special detection capabilities, RapID employs a variant on the traditional Raman laser beam that lowers the chance of the laser accidentally burning or otherwise disrupting a particularly sensitive sample.
Even if unexpected drug exposure isn’t a risk, officer safety depends on awareness of hazardous substances before they’re encountered firsthand. DQE, Inc., based in Fishers, Indiana, has long been recognized as a leader in hazmat response and emergency preparedness. The Hazmat Smart Strip is a reactive, pocket-sized badge that can be attached to clothing or almost any other surface and changes colors to indicate the presence of one of eight classes of potentially hazardous chemicals.5
Protection
It probably goes without saying that maintaining safety while handling or interacting with hazardous materials is the most important aspect of the process. There is a range of gear and equipment that ensures the safety of handlers and civilians alike.
But there is also new equipment that can make the process easier and faster as well as safer. One of the most vital pieces of hazmat response equipment, the respirator, has to be in good working order. Respirator function is assessed through a fit test, but this has typically been a time-consuming and cumbersome process, with tests taking up to 15 minutes per respirator.
The Quantifit, a respirator fit tester designed by Hoover, Alabama, company Occupational Health Dynamics (OHD), reduces the average test time down to just three minutes. That’s a huge potential time savings, especially when many respirators are being tested at once.
According to Luke Allen, OHD’s chief sales officer, this can save “thousands of hours” in the aggregate for large departments. At the same, the Quantifit’s controlled negative pressure technology places it at the top of the market for accuracy.6
“Hundreds of departments use Quantifit,” Allen said. “That’s from local cities up to federal agencies. The testing time is often what’s difficult about fit testing. We reduce that time, and if you have a department with, let’s say, 5,000 officers, that’s a lot of time you’re saving.”7
The Quantifit package includes a carrying case, keyboard, onboard memory, and PC connections, as well as other features that allow for easy and quick testing. The controlled negative pressure technology is endorsed by the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration and, thus, can be trusted for safety and effectiveness, Allen said.
“It saves time—not just for officers but for the test operators,” Allen pointed out. “It’s very easy to use. You don’t have to have anything to use it other than access to power. You just plug it in and run it. It’s extremely portable and extremely easy to use and set up.”8
When it comes to other safety equipment, DQE offers a full range of leak control and repair kits, remediation tools, and containment berms for hazmat situations. DQE’s Indestructo Decon Shower is a portable and break-resistant option that meets decontamination specifications and includes two wind screens to prevent overspray.
Education
It’s not always easy to train officers in hazmat safety and response, but there are those who can help along the way. Some of the best helpers are not even alive.
In 2006, a trade show visitor told OK Fine Productions, a manufacturer based in Casper, Wyoming, that they needed a new kind of training dummy for water situations. What they conceived was the Hazmat Decontamination/Water Rescue Dummy, which is versatile enough to help with training in everything from hazardous materials to grain silo accidents.
“These [dummies] help first responders, law enforcement, fire departments, now even hospitals,” said Sharon Mooney, OK Fine’s production and sales manager. “It’s two dummies in one; you can do water rescues and hazmat. That’s what’s neat about it—how multipurpose it is.”9
When floating, the dummy, which weighs 120 pounds, sits at a 45-degree angle, mimicking a common human floating position. What’s more, each dummy is made from a special material that is not only durable, but virtually waterproof. According to Mooney, tiny holes in the outer fabric allow liquid to drain quickly. One needs only to hang the dummy up in order for it to dry.
For in-depth training, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security provides the Law Enforcement First Responder Training Program.10 Hazmat awareness and tactical medical training are part of the three-day course, as are up-to-date guidelines on hazmat and other threat response protocols.
Web-based hazmat training is available through SafeResponse.com, a website that provides online awareness-level training programs for public- and private-sector emergency personnel. The courses, which can also be used as refresher training, are funded through a U.S. federal grant. As such, they are all available to users at no cost, according to the Safe Response website.11 ♦
Notes:
1 Drug Enforcement Administration, “DEA Issues Nationwide Alert on Fentanyl as Threat to Health and Public Safety,” news release, March 18, 2015 (accessed August 10, 2016).
2 Eric Roy (program manager, Cobalt Light Systems), telephone interview, August 9, 2016.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
5 The DQE website (accessed August 12, 2016).
6 Luke Allen (chief sales officer, OHD), telephone interview, August 9, 2016.
7 Ibid.
8 Ibid.
9 Sharon Mooney (production and sales manager, OK Fine Productions), telephone interview, August 11, 2016.
10 Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, “Law Enforcement First Responder Training Program” (accessed August 12, 2016).
11 The Safe Response website (accessed August 12, 2016).
