Home > Make a Killing From Antiterrorism
By Randy Dotinga
SAN DIEGO — Not too long ago, cops used to wander
around trade shows and linger at the booth of a company
selling bodysuits to protect against NBC — nuclear,
biological or chemical hazards. "Hope I never need
that," they’d say, and move on, leaving the military to
actually buy the protection.
Not anymore. "Now they say, ’I need that,’" said Bob
Weaver, president of bodysuit company Lanx Fabric
Systems, who’s watched law enforcement’s share of his
business quadruple over the last three years. "People
who used to avoid things like this are very much
engaged."
This week, Weaver hopes to attract even more clients.
With their eyes on a potential prize of another $33
billion in federal funding, Weaver and manufacturers of
everything from video cameras to radiation detectors
are busy pitching their products to the nation’s
antiterrorism infrastructure, a market that barely
existed during the Clinton era. In many cases,
technology developed by the military is making its way
to local police and fire departments.
Getting a piece of the pie may not be simple, however.
At the first-ever Homeland Security Conference,
salesmen are facing both competition and the challenge
of convincing government agencies to spend money that’s
plentiful but hard to get at the same time.
"All the easy money has been spent," said Edward
McWilliams, who sells BioSeal, a material used to wrap
bodies that may be contaminated with dangerous germs,
even the so-called Level 4 biohazards, such as the
Ebola virus.
While government agencies spent money freely after the
9/11 terrorist attacks, they’re being more circumspect
now, said McWilliams, whose booth was emblazoned with
the words, "What Is Your Plan for 6,000 Dead?"
The federal government has sent an estimated $13.1
billion in antiterrorism funds to local and state
agencies since 2001, although controversy has arisen
over the fact that some money is given equally to all
states, making Wyoming residents the recipients of
twice as many dollars per capita as New Yorkers,
according to Time magazine.
Meanwhile, Congress — once it gets its act together —
is expected to earmark $33 billion to keep the
Department of Homeland Security afloat for another
year. But the funds come with plenty of strings
attached, including acres of paperwork. Some agencies
have had to hire people simply to write grant requests,
and an entire afternoon of the San Diego terrorism-tech
conference will be devoted to the challenges of
extracting money from the government.
Randall Lofland, sales manager of Lanx Fabric Systems,
has a different view from McWilliams. Contrary to the
views of critics, he said, government agencies were
always careful about shopping around for antiterrorism
products. But he acknowledged that the influx of
federal money may make things more complicated. "There
are more checks and balances," he said.
Regardless of future obstacles on the financial front,
plenty of the businesses hawking their wares at the San
Diego conference aren’t exactly scraping by. In many
cases, federal and local funding has goosed both
research and profits.
For example, sales have grown by 16 times over the past
three years at Safety Tech International, which
manufactures devices that make air-filtering
respirators — such as gas masks — easier to use.
While they protect rescue workers against hazardous
chemicals in the air, respirators are hardly easy to
wear. Breathing through the filters can be an
exhausting task requiring plenty of lung power,
especially if the user is already tired from physical
activity. Even a simple dust mask can be a pain to wear
in an emergency.
Using a blower, Safety Tech’s products suck air into
the filtration system and then send it into the
respirator, making it easier for the user to breathe
normally. Formerly a product used mainly by the
military, the devices have now become popular among FBI
agents and local SWAT teams, said Jeff Paden, director
of sales and marketing for Safety Tech.
Throwing around buzzwords like "situational awareness"
and "war fighters," other manufacturers are hawking
night-vision goggles, tiny video cameras (including one
the size of a lapel microphone), virtual reality
systems and bioagent detectors.
At one booth, a nearly 6-foot-tall mannequin of an
injured soldier, complete with a bloody, blown-off
lower leg, lies on a table. His eyes blink, his chest
rises and falls, and a machine keeps track of all his
vital signs. "Stan" — short for "standard man" — is
designed to simulate the challenges of treating
injuries in the field.
Stan can be programmed to suffer the symptoms of
virtually any disease or injury — say, SARS or a sarin
gas attack. Among other things, his respiration, pulse
and oxygen level change automatically in response to
treatment or stress. When his blood pressure drops, his
radial and femoral — wrist and groin — pulses
diminish, just like in people. He can even ooze pus and
hemorrhage cinematic blood, mixed with soap to the
realistic slippery feel of real blood.