14 A FIRST RESPONDER’S BEST FRIEND @ Spring/Summer 2006
@ A new software
A First Responder’s
tool for first
responders pro-
vides detailed
information on the
Best Friend
chemicals most
commonly associ- The Chemical Companion helps hazmat teams make critical decisions.
ated with hazmat
incidents. That
helps first respon-
hen dealing with hazardous materials — whether
ders make deci-
sions about aiding
victims and
decontaminating
a spill.
W f rom a truck spill or a terrorist attack —
information is critical. Before first responders can
begin to aid victims and decontaminate a scene, they must
determine what substances are present and understand the
inherent risks to humans and the environment.
To help first responders and hazardous materials
(hazmat) teams, researchers at the Georgia Tech Research
Institute (GTRI) have developed the “Chemical
Companion.” This software tool, which operates on
Windows CE-based personal digital assistants, p rovides
detailed information on 130 of the most common chemicals
associated with hazmat incidents.
“Knowing the characteristics of a chemical, such as its cloud cover doesn't allow a chemical substance to
boiling point or density, tells us different things about how travel as well, and heat will hold it closer to the
to approach the scene,”says project co-director Christina ground.
Baxter, a senior re s e a rch scientist in GTRI's Health and • Appropriate medical aid, ranging from basic to
Environmental Systems Lab (HESL).“Suppose there's a fire . advanced life support.
With some flammable substances, water might make the “With some chemicals like Orthene®, which is a
fire burn even hotter, and foam is needed to suppress fire-ant killer, administering oxygen to a victim would have
the blaze.” a detrimental effect,”notes Amy Cook, a chemist in GTRI's
Sponsored by the federal government's Technical Electro-Optical Systems Lab (EOSL).
Support Work Gro u p, the Chemical Companion helps first First responders may be able to identify chemical
responders make decisions about: agents from the shape of containers, shipping papers or
• Protective equipment. Different chemical agents signs posted at the hazmat scene. But if there are no solid
require different protective clothing and respirators. clues, the Chemical Companion enables responders to iden-
TOP RIGHT: • Chemical reactivity, which can result in toxic fumes, tify an unknown chemical by entering details about the sub-
Georgia Tech
fires and explosions. For example, if bleach (sodium stance's physical appearance, such as color or state.
Research Institute
researchers hypochlorite) and ammonia come into contact with Another option for pinpointing unknown chemicals
Christina Baxter each other, they can create a deadly gas. is to report medical symptoms displayed by victims. For
and Ben Medlin
• Isolation and protective zones. Distances will vary example, twitching, constricted pupils, excessive sweating
helped develop the
“Chemical depending on chemicals involved, the size of a spill, and confusion might indicate the presence of the nerve
Companion” s o f t- weather conditions and time of day. For example, gas sarin.
ware tool that runs
on personal digital
assistants. BY T.J. BECKER
@ gtresearchnews.gatech.edu 15
PHOTO BY GARY MEEK
Christina Baxter at
“The Chemical Companion makes it easy for first participated in training exercises at the
404-407-8362 or
responders to access information quickly from multiple Douglas County Fire Department.
christina.baxter@
paths,”says Gisele Bennett, director of EOSL and co-principal “When you're in a hazmat suit, gtri.gatech.edu
investigator.“The system is also very robust and easy to even simple tasks, like picking up a
update so we can continue to add more chemicals.” p e n ny, can be very difficult,”says Gisele Bennett at
Benjamin Medlin, a GTRI software 404-407-6155 or
Although there are existing software tools for hazmat
gisele.bennett@
teams, these pro g rams can cost as much as $2,000 per license. development specialist.“So you can
gtri.gatech.edu
In contrast, the Chemical Companion will be free to the imagine how difficult it might be to
military, law enforcement officers and fire departments. use personal digital assistants — which aren't the easiest
Besides price, other hallmarks include greater depth of d evices to use under normal conditions.”
information on chemicals and more detailed medical advice. To minimize the amount of typing re q u i red to use the
What's more , the Chemical Companion features a calculator Chemical Companion, the GTRI team incorporated lots of
to help responders determine“stay times” — how long they d ropdown menus and automatic fill-ins in the software. The ABOVE LEFT:
program also features large lettering and shading between The “Chemical
can remain in a contaminated zone — based on what type of
Companion” s o f t-
p rotective equipment they're wearing. columns to make numbers and words easier to read from ware tool runs on
“Being able to accurately project stay times saves money under bulky hazmat masks. personal digital
Beta-testing for the Chemical Companion began in the assistants to help
as well as lives,”says Baxter, noting that hazmat suits are
first responders
expensive — about $1,000 each.“These suits can only be worn fall of 2005 with a number of fire departments around the obtain the informa-
once. If we pull a first responder from a hot zone after 15 country, including units in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle tion they need
and Douglas County, Ga. Researchers expect the Chemical to make critical
minutes when he or she could have remained safely for 45
decisions.
minutes, that's a considerable cost.” Companion will be re a dy for distribution later this year.
Hazmat equipment also presented a design challenge for
@ Listen to a podcast on this project at: gtresearchnews.
GTRI re s e a rchers.“The whole concept of user design changes
gatech.edu/podcast/chemical_companion.mp3
d ramatically when you're dealing with this kind of environ-
ment,”Bennett explains.
Indeed, to get a taste for the conditions that first re s p o n-
ders work under, GTRI engineers donned protective gear and
LEFT: Firefighters
Paul Smith and Ron
Larsen secure a
simulated leak on
a chlorine bottle
during a training
e x e rcise at the
Naval Station in
San Diego.
U.S. NAVY PHOTO BY PHOTOGRAPHER’S MATE 2ND CLASS DANIEL R. MENNUTO