Smiths Detection was awarded multiple contracts for the expansion of the PROTECT security system at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro).

The system to be upgraded and expanded is designed for early warning detection of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) materials. Smiths Detection will provide Metro with engineering, installation and maintenance services for the expanded system. New generation sensors and software will be integrated with the current system including redundant failover hardware, enhanced video surveillance capabilities, and improved response and recovery options.

Initially developed by the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory as a response to the 1995 Sarin gas attacks in the Tokyo subway, PROTECT, which stands for the Program for Response Options and Technology Enhancements for Chemical/ Biological Terrorism, is designed to save lives in the event of terrorist attacks.

Smiths Detection's PROTECT solution provides advanced CBRNE detectors for rapid alert of a threat; digital video cameras for verification of detector activations; real-time modeling of hazard zones in and out of a facility; firemen jacks for outside responders to view the threat before they enter a facility; Command, Control & Communications (C3) software integrating real-time data on chemical detectors, video and hazard zones into one operational picture for decision-making; and integrated concept of operations (ConOps) plans and training programs.