Homeland Security rolls out mobile detection solution
Enter PHILIS: the Portable High-Throughput Integrated Laboratory Identification System. PHILIS is the bookmobile or Meals on Wheels of homeland security. Developed by the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate, the system comprises a fleet of trucks and trailers. When duty calls, the unassuming vehicles can rush into action as mobile, high-tech laboratories, each staffed by a team of 12 to 15 scientists and engineers. PHILIS is the first start-to-finish product from the S&T Directorate, originating in the early days of DHS in 2003. It began with a proof-of-concept demonstration and grew into a single prototype after undergoing critical testing and evaluation.
Each PHILIS mobile vehicle is capable of identifying numerous chemicals, pinpointing each one’s location and concentration and mapping the extent of any contamination. This information would be critical for recovery and cleanup operations, which would follow emergency response and forensic teams to a chemical release (intentional or accidental).
Six PHILIS units, built by Battelle Memorial Institute, of Columbus, OH, and Environmental Alternatives, Inc., of Keene, NH, are already in the hands of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) -- ready to be deployed to different regions.
In December, EPA will receive three more units, designed by a corporate team led by Hamilton Sundstrand, of Windsor Locks, CT. These newer versions will include upgraded equipment for chemical analysis.
"If there’s ever an incident, anywhere, EPA will be equipped to respond," said Donald Bansleben, the S&T Directorate’s program manager for PHILIS. "Once a PHILIS unit arrives, it can be fully operational within two hours."
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