The spread of Ebola in West Africa and the emergence of isolated cases in Western and other countries has caused widespread alarm. Cristanini has closely followed the emergency, being a supplier of decontamination systems, but not before considering potential equipment solutions.
In the case of Sierra Leone and Liberia, US and UK forces are responding to provide greater containment of the crisis at source.
Decontamination is sometimes considered the lesser of the pillars of CBRN protection, but you need decontamination to prevent an event becoming a crisis. So, while the company prepared a series of Ebola response options, we were pleased to see our systems being employed in Brazil when a suspect case returned from the Republic of Guinea and developed early symptoms of the fever. He was flown to a specialist isolation unit in Rio di Janeiro, which allowed testing and specialist care. Cristanini equipment was employed in the decontamination of the aircraft.
Two principal equipments were deployed to the airfield: a Rapid Intervention CBRN Trailer and LVD-X; the latter for decontamination of interiors of aircraft, headquarters buildings or the interior of multiple types of infrastructure.
Cristanini’s Rapid Intervention Trailer offers a truly multifunctional capability. The system decontaminates personnel, vehicles, equipment, external infrastructure and terrain.
Equipped with the Sanijet decontamination machine and its eye-catching Sanijetgun, BX24 universal decontaminant, BX40 decontaminant especially for aircraft exteriors, as well as numerous accessories, it provides rapid intervention in the event of all CBRN emergencies, as well as preventive solutions. Extremely simple to operate, it can deal with a host of different CBRN, toxic industrial and environmental waste management contingencies. It operates with its own integral water supply or water drawn from multiple sources (fire services, hydrants, bowsers, rivers, lakes, the sea). The trailer operates on multi-fuels (diesel, kerosene and JP8), has its own integral generator, is completely autonomous and comes in red, green or sand colour. The company’s Light Trailer is also completely autonomous and multi-functional, providing a shower system for personnel, as well as a wide array of surface and terrain decontamination options.
LVD-X decontaminates chemical and biological hazards in the air and on the surfaces of critical infrastructure including rooms and aircraft. It dispenses a mist of atomized micro-droplets of chemical and biological decontaminant that is lighter than air, and can also be discharged through a buildings ventilation system. Once deployed it can be operated in an autonomous mode, cycles being fully automatic, or controlled by a single operator. The machine also offers decontamination of other surfaces using a spray lance and the universal decontaminant BX24. The BX24 is automatically mixed with water and is environmentally friendly. After manual application and a brief waiting period, the now detoxified residue can be rinsed away.
Cristanini’s SX34 is another item that proved useful for decontamination of sensitive equipment such as the aircraft cockpit. Equally, it can decontaminate any sensitive surface, such as aviation, search and rescue or expensive medical equipment. This portable equipment involves the non-aqueous mechanical removal of chemical, biological or radiological agents to a receptacle where they can be detoxified by BX24 or, if radiological, secured for disposal in accordance with national and international safety regulations.
Finally, the company is unique in supplying a Level 3 autonomous chemical and biological laboratory that is specifically designed for field deployment into harsh environments. It can deliver forensic level results to support strategic decision making, medical counter measures or a criminal enquiry. All these items of equipment follow the Cristanini philosophy of providing universal solutions for multiple scenarios, whether defence or civil protection; useful when you don’t know how, when or where the next CBRN crisis is going to reveal itself, whether natural or intentional.