Olympic Sponsor Holds Seminar on 2010 Security Products
Heavyweight security eyed
Officials briefed on tools available, including multi-threat detection system that screens entire city blocks
Jeff Lee, Vancouver Sun,Wednesday, October 29, 2008
CHILLIWACK -- A detection system that can screen entire city blocks, sniffing out upwards of 37 chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological threats, will be among the security devices used at the 2010 Winter Games.
The so-called Safesite threat-detection system was at the top of the list Tuesday when security officials were given an exhaustive briefing about the kinds of threats to watch for at the Games and what equipment they'll have at their disposal.
The seminar, arranged by Acklands-Grainger, the industrial safety-equipment and materials-handling supplier to the Vancouver Organizing Committee, took place at the RCMP's training facility at Vedder Crossing.
"I think it is a fact of reality for this type of event that as much as we can hope nothing happens, there is always a risk," Acklands vice-president and general manager Henry Buckley said, referring to the Olympics. "It's incumbent upon all of us that we are prepared effectively."
He said the company put on the seminar to educate security and emergency preparedness officials about what's available as the Olympics draw near.
The briefing included reviews of everything from body armour and communications equipment to breathing apparatus and even a crash course in the most feared kinds of attacks, those involving chemicals, biological agents and nuclear and radiological threats.
The multi-threat detection system was one of the major items under discussion. With a price tag starting in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, it uses remote monitors that can scan and transmit results a mile away. It is already in place at the White House and is regularly deployed at the National Football League's Super Bowl game.
In Canada, it's relatively new. There are only two or three such systems in the country and they are in the hands of the Department of National Defence.
Buckley expected upwards of 100 people from the RCMP and local police, military, paramedics and fire departments to attend the two-day event.
The company had to cancel plans for live equipment demonstrations because the RCMP's shooting range was being used by law enforcement tactical weapons teams.
Buckley said Acklands-Grainger has worked with fire departments and security agencies to provide industrial safety equipment and only recently got into the business of providing "controlled" security equipment like body armour and the multi-threat detection system.
The federal and provincial governments are wrestling with an escalating security budget now estimated at $400 million to $1 billion.
Law enforcement officials have identified several threats to Olympic security, including anti-globalization, anti-corporate and first nations activists, as well as international extremist organizations like al-Qaida, which has already singled out the London 2012 Summer Games as a target.The RCMP's national security branch in November 2006 said al-Qaida terrorists intended to attack Canada and that they recently called for strikes against Canadian oil and natural gas facilities.
The groups were identified in heavily censored documents obtained by The Sun from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the RCMP, the lead agency for the Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit.
Buckley said Acklands-Grainger doesn't expect to make a lot of money from security sales to the Olympics, and is looking to its affiliation with Vanoc as a chance to broaden the company's contacts in the emergency preparedness industry.
"I think we will make most of our customers who use this kind of stuff aware of it," he said. "I don't think the 2010 Olympics is going to generate any further interest from our customers. It's more about providing information to them on the emergency preparedness aspect."
© The Vancouver Sun 2008
No2010 Note: Acklands-Grainger is an official 2010 supporter.