Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Heather Denby | Spc. Eric Grimes (left), a chemical specialist assigned to the 193rd Brigade Support...... read more read more
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. – Soldiers from the 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade test the latest prototype in chemical agent detection, the Palm-sized Automated Chemical Agent Detector, July 6-15, at the Live Virtual Constructive environment located on post. The 4th MEB is currently assigned to the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high yield Explosives Consequence Management Reaction Force mission, a federal domestic crisis response system comprised of military police, engineers, CBRNE specialists and other military occupational specialties which are designed to support state and local authorities in case of a large-scale domestic disaster.
“Being a part of the CCMRF mission and testing new CBRNE products ties directly into my job and the units overall mission,” said Sgt. Jonathan Taylor, a water treatment specialist assigned to the 193rd Brigade Support Battalion, A Company.
The product being tested, the PACAD, was designed to examine the immediate air quality to determine whether a chemical agent(s) is present after a CBRNE alarm has been given and Soldiers have donned their masks. The PACAD was created in a joint effort between the Japanese Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense. Its technology automatically functions and interprets the results of reaction tickets based on M256A1 chemistry/technology. If the prototype is approved, the PACAD would be a key factor in giving the “all clear” alert.
Currently, the M256A1 and M256A2 Low Volatility Hazard kits are being used to detect chemical agents, in vapor, liquid and solid forms, but the process requires approximately 20 minutes and 14 different manual steps to complete.
“The M256A2 is our best performing low level detector and is our primary unmasking tool,” said Mike Cress, the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center technical representative for the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence. “The device is simple, lightweight and requires no batteries or external power.”
But there are some limitations to this kind of device, he said.
“Soldiers must train periodically to maintain proficiency with the kit, which is often difficult to interpret; it requires white light to identify the color change, the process typically ties up two Soldiers, and the agent list for possible detection is limited by the size of the kit,” said Cress.
Operation of the kit is a Skill Level II task, generally assigned to a team leader or higher. The M256A2 kit includes the M256A1 and an attachment heater within a camouflaged pouch.
The M256A2 series is being fielded this fiscal year and will replace the M256A1 kit once its shelf life has expired.
“The M256 series is old-school even with the new heating system but the PACAD is up-to-date technology, sure it could use some tweaks, but as far as time allotment and the number of Soldiers required to operate, this would definitely come in handy,” said Spc. Eric Grimes, a chemical specialist assigned to the 193rd BSB, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment.
The PACAD prototype will be adjusted based on the direct feedback given by the 4th MEB Soldiers and a group of government-contracted data analysts.
The feedback comes as part of the screening process for new and potential military products. This portion of the process is called a military utility assessment.
This particular MUA is one of six scheduled to be conducted this fiscal year by the Fort Leonard Wood Maneuver Support Battle Lab.
“The MUA is a practical approach to a concept or technology that may have been put out in academia or maybe assessing a commercial product to see if it can be integrated into military doctrine, training programs or fielding out for use in deployment situations,” said Joe Stewart, a CBRN data analyst from Macaulay-Brown Inc. operating on behalf of the MSBL.
The Science and Technology Branch of the MSBL, whose mission is to focus and validate science and technology, requested Soldiers from the 4th MEB as the installations only Forces Command asset with direct combat experience.
“The work these Soldiers are doing today won’t benefit them directly but will pay dividends for Soldiers in the future,” said Dennis Hutchinson, a science and technology officer in the MSBL. “Talk about selfless service!”
Under the requirements of a contract, Macaulay-Brown, Inc. will prepare a report for the MSBL.
This document will be used to inform the acquisition community, requirement writers, and U.S. Army labs/research & development centers on the potential offered by the developing technology used by Soldiers during this experiment.
Specifications of the PACAD prototype were purposely omitted due to their classified nature.
| Date Taken: | 07.15.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 07.15.2010 16:07 |
| Story ID: | 52894 |
| Location: | FORT LEONARD WOOD, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 587 |
| Downloads: | 222 |
This work, Soldiers help advance chemical detection technology, by SFC Heather Denby, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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