DATELINE – Following 9/11, when mysterious powders were found at several U.S. post offices, 492 postal facilities were closed at a loss of postal services and expenses in the hundreds of millions of dollars – all due to hoaxes. Since the 9/11 attacks on the United States, many incidents have occurred involving suspicious powders found in buildings, in the streets, and in the U.S. mail. Unfortunately, several of these incidents have been real terrorist attacks involving anthrax resulting in five deaths, but most have been hoaxes or copycat attacks that have created panic responses in the community, costing millions of dollars in resources and commercial loss, and threatening the safety of first responders on the scene.To mitigate the unnecessary expense of a full-fledged HAZ-MAT response to false alarms, GenPrime, Inc., a Spokane, WA company, has developed Prime Alert® Biodetection System – the premiere broad-screening biodetection test that quickly detects suspicious levels of bacteria, bacterial spores and many viruses with one test, on-site. Scott Health & Safety, part of Tyco Fire & Security, has entered into an agreement with GenPrime, Inc. to broaden the reach of Prime Alert Biodetection System to the fire responder community, utilizing Scott's close relationship with the fire service and broad distribution network. "When first responders respond to a call about a suspicious powder, normal operating procedure requires the deployment of an entire HAZ-MAT Response Team. This requires employing the resources of numerous firefighters and other first responders, closing of streets and buildings, and costing thousands, sometimes millions in commerce and resources," says Luanne Freund, Scott Health & Safety Marketing Manager, "With the use of Prime Alert Biodetection System, first responders can quickly mitigate the alarm by determining the biological risk factors of the unknown substance – on-site – before deploying the full HAZ-MAT response." While other biodetection systems can detect biohazards, only Prime Alert Biodetection System can detect all 13 high-priority, weaponizable bacterial agentsentified by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) with one test. Others can only detect up to seven agents, using multiple test samples, often taking hours or days to verify if the mysterious substance is a hoax or a true threat. Prime Alert Biodetection System employs a unique, patented, fluorescent detection technology that quickly determines whether a suspicious powder sample contains suspicious levels of microbes, including bacteria and bacterial spores. The system works by adding dye to a sample of an unknown powder. If the sample contains a component found in all microbes, the dye will bind to it and become fluorescent. The microbes can then be detected using the system's ruggedized hand-held instrument.Prime Alert Biodetection System is the only broad microbe screening test available that can rapidly determine if a suspicious powder contains potentially dangerous levels of microbes, including bacteria or bacterial spores. The Microbe Screen used by Prime Alert Biodetection System determines whether microbes are present. A bacteria-specific test can only tell you whether the agent tested for is present. For example, a negative test for Anthrax does not verify if a threat is credible; it simply means that the substance in question is not Anthrax. It doesn't eliminate the possibility that other biowarfare agents may be present. The advantage of Prime Alert Biodetection System's Microbe Screen is that multiple types of bioterrorist threats can be detected with one, 5-minute test."We have developed Prime Alert Biodetection System to help reduce the costs and fear associated withentifying an unknown substance. The faster results can be obtained, the sooner the community can be informed and a plan of action determined." says Johnny Humphreys, CEO of GenPrime, "We are excited about our new relationship with Scott, not only because of its reputation in the fire services, but its commitment to providing quality products." In April 2002, the Prime Alert Biodetection System was validated by an independent government contracted laboratory which found the system to be "effective at detecting the presence of microorganisms including bacterial and/or bacterial spores from powders, and was an easy and rapid assay to conduct. The assay was reproducible with a confidence level of 98% for all biological and non-biological powders tested."Portability, ease-of-use, and the ability to determine whether or not a substance is harmful in less than 10 minutes are features that enable the kit to be deployed in any situation – Prime Alert Biodetection System provides this capability in a simple, complete package. Prime Alert Biodetection System is available through Scott Health & Safety's Authorized Portable Instrument Distributor network. Prime Alert® is registered trademark of Gen Prime, Inc. Scott Health & Safety, a business unit of Tyco International's Fire & Security segment, is a premiere manufacturer of innovative respiratory and other personal protective equipment and safety devices for firefighters, industrial workers, police squads, militaries, homeland security forces, and rescue teams around the world. With five global manufacturing locations, Scott produces products that protect thousands of individuals each day from environmental hazards including smoke, toxic fumes, combustible gases, falling objects, and contaminants. The Scott product line includes self-contained breathing apparatus, supplied air and air-purifying respirators, gas detection instruments, head, face, eye and hearing protection, decontamination showers, and safety signs and markers.GenPrime, Inc., located in Spokane, WA, specializes in the development of rapid microbial screening tests designed to detect biological substances in the field. The company is committed to becoming the leading provider of advanced testing technologies for a secure and healthy world. For more information contact: Dan McKinney Marketing Communications Manager, Scott Health & Safety Phone: (704) 231-8418 E-mail: dmckinney@tycoint.com
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