Smiths Detection’s Latest ETD Receives ECAC Approval
Smiths Detection says the European Civil Aviation Conference has approved the company’s new IONSCAN 600 portable explosives trace detector (ETD) for passenger and cargo checkpoint screening. “This is a major milestone for the IONSCAN 600 so soon after its launch,” says Barrie Foley, vice president EMEA at Smiths Detection. “ECAC approval provides reassurance to our EU customers and beyond that the IONSCAN 600 meets the rigorous EU Standard for both passenger and cargo checkpoint screening.” The 23-pound system features a non-radioactive Ion Mobility Spectrometry source, which eliminates the need for special licensing, handling or disposal requirements.
DHS S&T Transitions Incident Command System to Commercial Market
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) branch has transitioned to the commercial sector an incident command system originally developed by MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory. The Next-Generation Incident Command System (NICS) is a mobile, we3b-based system that facilitates collaboration and enhances situational awareness across all levels of response agencies, government, and the private sector during emergencies. The system can be operated from a computer, smartphone, or tablet with a web browser and Internet connectivity. The Worldwide Incident Command Services Corporation (WICS), a California-based nonprofit public benefit corporation, will provide hosting, support and enhancements, as well as emergency planner and first responder access to NICS as a low cost service. The transition of NICS into the WICS-hosted environment is slated for late this spring.
Bruker Develops Hands-Free Rad Detection Unit
Bruker Detection Corp. has developed a hands-free portable radioactivity detection unit it is exhibiting this week at the IEEE International Symposium on Technologies for Homeland Security in Boston. The 22-pound devices is carried in a backpack and “It will distinguish industrial-type radioactive materials and even nuclear materials that a terrorist might be using,” says Frank Thibodeau, vice president of Business Development at Bruker. “Targets can be moving, the operator can be moving or it can be stationary.” The device doesn’t depend on a want and speaks to its operator through an earphone and sends critical information to a command and control center.