Weather Sensors Get Intriguing Application
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A faster way for first responders to track clouds of toxic gases during an accident has been developed, originating on the battlefields of Iraq. The technology allows first responders to see where toxic plumes are moving before they arrive at a fire or toxic gas release.
Diamond B Technology Solutions obtained a patent for Local-Rapid Evaluation of Atmospheric Conditions, or L-REAC. The company, which renamed the product L-Rx, obtained exclusive rights from the U.S. Army and had been developing the patent for nearly a year.
The system uses available real-time weather data to create 3-D plume maps showing potential exposure levels available on mobile devices, and can save first responders valuable seconds.
“What a firefighter could do is, they could get in their truck with their tablet. And they could set an incident location. And what it will do is find the closest available weather sensor, use that data to model the wind on the plume map,” said Scott Roller, Diamond B’s vice president for technology.
The technology will be tested by the Billings, Montana and the Fargo, N.D., fire departments. In fact, the technology was unexpectedly tried in Fargo when a diesel fuel fire started in a large storage tank at the Magellan Pipeline Co. Using data from a nearby public weather sensor, Roller used the L-RAX to develop a plume model within five minutes and headed to the scene. He called the city and eventually found himself with emergency managers in the operations center. One of his maps was used on the city’s Facebook page, as real-time information, and the fire was contained with no injuries.
Other possible markets for this technology include the oil and gas industry, railroads and others who are seeking to monitor toxic plumes in advance of an accident, training employees at refineries, etc..
The L-REAC system was originally developed by Army research meteorologist Gail Vaucher, who sought ways to increase monitoring toxic releases after she saw the damage done by chemical burn pits in Iraq.
