Testimonials
Specific Incidents Involving the PEAC-WMD Tool.
"Recently we were involved in LARECON, a major exercise demonstrating many different
technologies. The exercise was in Thibodaux, LA and the surrounding areas.
LARECON was a huge success and the project is still ongoing.
During the exercise, our unit participated in the mock drill in which there were multiple
incidents at multiple sites. The PEAC system proved once again to be an extremely
useful tool in our toolbox, allowing the commander and staff to make quick informed
decisions that would have saved lives if this had been a real situation."
Major Greg Parker, Deputy Commander, 62nd CST WMD
"I have to tell you that my coworker, Joe Bales, cannot say enough nice things about
your company. Every time that I have called you are tops in customer service.
As you know we have three teams in the City of Sacramento and the folks in the field
really...really enjoy using PEAC."
Clay Carter, Captain, Sacramento Fire Department (Special Operations Division)
"TEAM-1 Emergency Services is the leader in Spill Response in Ontario if not all of
Canada. We are involved in chemical spills and releases to the natural environment
on a daily basis. On a recent call to assist a local Police Service with the
safe mitigation of a Clandestine Drug Lab, the PEAC system was put to the test.
When dealing with toxic chemicals it's frustrating that there is no real one source
of information to coordinate a response. One must search the NFPA, the NIOSH
Guide the NAERG and then the product manufacturing catalogues for gloves, boots etc.
PEAC combines that information and provides it immediately.
Once we have identified the chemicals through the use of an IR Spectrometer, we access
the PEAC system. This gives our HazMat Technicians the tools to safely enter,
and provide mitigation of these toxic messes. To have the information available
on a high tech device so we don’t have to flip through book after book is invaluable."
We endorse the use of the Aristatek PEAC-WMD system and use it for all of our HazMat
calls.
In our line of work we get calls from manufactures to try out their products and we
have found Aristatek to be the best system and the best company for support."
Mitchell Gibbs, Manager, Emergency Services
"WOW! The up-grade is fantastic. I will be training our HazMat team the 20th and 21st
of this month. I showed it to a CBRNE operations class yesterday. They were very impressed!"
Matt Ratliff, Sterling Heights Fire Department
"We had a derailment that included HazMat. On arrival, I worked with the Fire
and Police Departments to coordinate activities necessary to get everything back in
proper working order. The handheld pc with your software saved a lot of
time and steps. Using a battery operated HP printer and the infrared printing
option, I was able to provide documentation for all facets of our operation,
satisfying concerns of Police and Fire Officials. It was a great help, so much
easier than pouring through the ERG, NIOSH and other books that we would typically
use."
James Belcher, CN Railroad
"The Calhoun Fire Department has been using PEAC for several years. I personally became
aware of your unit several years ago at FDIC in Indy while instructing for ESE Training
Associates, (we are now GSM Training Associates). The Calhoun, Gordon County, Dalton,
Whitfield County, and Chatsworth Fire Departments have a Joint Regional Special Operations
Team (Northwest Georgia Special Operations Team), that specializes in HazMat Response,
Dive Rescue / Recovery, and Search and Rescue.
Our team was tasked to participate in the recent G-8 Summit held on Saint Simons and
Sea Islands, Brunswick, Savannah, and the surrounding area. We were one of two "civilian"
or non-military HazMat teams on duty. Our assignment was to provide initial HazMat
response on Saint Simons Island, where we were stationed, for the local fire department,
and also we were to provide backup and Decon for the 4th CST (4 th Military Civil
Support Team) that was assigned duty on Sea Island where the dignitaries stayed and
held the Summit. The PEAC system was a very vital tool that we have trained with
and were to use in our efforts of response at the G-8. The PEAC system, we felt would
give us much needed, quick response information in a wide variety of situations dealing
with many types of products. We were confident in the PEAC systems information and
reliability due to having used it on other local calls and responses. The 4th CST
and our Team have trained together on many drills and have had live incidents that
we have had the occasion to use the PEAC system. Each time it has proved to be a valuable
tool in dealing with the problem at hand. In the case of the G-8 we had to be prepared
to deal with anything from a protester with liquid bleach, to a type of explosive
devise with other items attached, and the PEAC system provided us with information
on most items that we thought that we could encounter. We feel that it is a very good
tool for use in the Public Safety Response arena."
Lenny Nesbitt, Fire Chief, Calhoun Fire Department
"The PEAC system provided the 82d Airborne Division Chemical Staff with a very useful
tool to determine potential TIC/TIM hazards throughout Iraq. The system provided
critical information in a timely manner to combat units in the field. It proved
to be a valuable database for the entire division combat team in terms of its size
and the user-friendliness of the program."
MSG Rahem Batts, CBRNE Staff, 82nd Airborne Division
"Over the last several years [many] products have been introduced to the market to
aid First Responders in accomplishment of consequence management as a result of commercial
and industrial chemical accidents and incidents. One such tool is the Palmtop Emergency
Action Computer, trade name "PEAC" developed by Arista Tek Inc. With 20 years of service
to the Armed Forces and having served in units responsible for responding to WMD events,
I've seen a number of recourses, some good and others not so good. One thing will always
be paramount in responding to any event and that is time and information. Managing
time and receiving critical information allows for decisive plan execution. PEAC has
been one of the most useful tools I've ever used. Its extensive data base on protective
equipment, substance analysis and protective action distance modeling capability,
merges both time and information at the forward edge of any response," the tip of
the spear". PEAC, not only deals with commercial/industrial substances, but has incorporated
military significant chemical warfare agents and explosives. PEAC has quickly become
the tool of choice for many response organizations from Fire Departments to Specialized
Military response units like the NGB Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil support Teams,
CBRIF and the U.S. Army Technical Escort Unit. Arista Tek has developed one of the
premier tools to the responder community. I am pleased to endorse its use and would
recommend it to any and all response organizations. Words that in the not-too-distant
past were obscure and seldom heard -- anthrax, smallpox, sarin -- have now become
impossible to avoid. As we continue to prepare our country for dealing with the possible
worst, we will continue to count on partnerships between government and private industry
to work together in providing the right tools that make a difference in America's
future."
Daniel R. Farmer, Senior Analyst, Systems Dynamics Inc.
"I have been using the PEAC software package since 1997. The program has always been
fast, user friendly and informative. The latest version, PEAC WMD, is an amazing update.
Improvements have been made to both the index and the depth of information presented.
The new index format makes it extremely easy to search for chemical name and synonyms.
Information has been upgraded to include chemical warfare information, meth-lab chemicals,
radiological isotopes and explosive information. The depth of information is extensive.
It now includes chemical information including ionization potential, for the use of
photo ionization air monitoring devices, PPE and emergency response information. The
protective action distance (PAD) is the quickest and easiest to use plume-modeling
function that I have ever seen. I use the software on both my laptop and my PDA. The
PDA version allows me the flexibility to have the information that I need immediately
available wherever and whenever I need it. The PEAC WMD software is my first choice
when I need information during pre-planning or when responding to an emergency situation."
Phil Currance EMT-P, RHSP Central NMRT-WMD
"One of the impressive things to me about PEAC is that the developers did not just
design the system in a vacuum. They went out to the HazMat and fire fighting community
and got their input to develop a tool to serve needs in the real world."
Mike Callan, Callan & Company, Ltd. Middlefield, CT
"I have had your product for two years, and now have the WMD upgrade. The PEAC is
one of the most important tools that I use. It is extremely helpful in determining
safety and stand-off areas. I also use it throughout the incident for information
such as chemical properties, chemical weapons precursors, and radiation isotopes.
The PEAC is very helpful tool for the HazMat Chief and the Incident Commander who
have limited time for researching multiple manuals for information."
Daniel J. Robbins, LTC, Commander, 71st CST-WMD
"I've just spent a few days working with the demo version of PEAC-WMD and also used
it during Technical Escort course at Redstone and have been pleased with the results
and the ease of use. Even though the original PEAC program was revolutionary, the
new program focused on WMD should serve to make our jobs much easier. Having this
database on the pocket PC platform makes it ideal for minimizing the load in a rapid
response. Hope to acquire at least one of these per response vehicle on the team within
the next budget cycle. Thanks for your help."
Robert J. Stuart, CPT, MS, GaARNG, 4th WMD-CST, Survey Team Leader
"When our Hazardous Materials Team requested that I purchase an upgrade for their
PEAC 2.0 for their Palmtop, I downloaded a trial for myself, just to see what the
software could do for us. I was so impressed by the amount of available information;
I not only requested the Palmtop upgrade but also purchased a PEAC WMD license for
our Mobile Command Center. There are many programs on the market that offer the same
information contained in the PEAC software package but none of them compare to the
simplicity of operation offered by PEAC."
Louis Ritter, Emergency Preparedness Planner/MMRS Coordinator, Jacksonville
Fire and Rescue Department
"Since we have received our PEAC we have only had a couple of occasions to actually
put it to use in other than a learning mode, and it performed admirably. We have started
to use it to retrieve chemical information sheets, rather than go to our own computer
data base, or attempt to find a reliable search engine for the World Wide Web to obtain
MSDSs. Our CPD Fire Brigade find both the hose and foam calculators to be valuable
tools."
Larry Kautzman, MPC, Colstrip, MT
"Ehrenberg Fire District is located on the western border of Arizona on Interstate
10. Being on one of the main truck corridors, we have major truck traffic and the
obligatory truck travel plaza. We have responded to this travel plaza several times
and have encountered many different HazMat situations. I believe purchasing PEAC is
the best thing that has happened to help rescuers with dangerous chemicals and situations.
It is so simple to use and provides much needed information with a few strokes of
the pen. All the volunteers in my Department find the PEAC to be an excellent resource
tool and are able to utilize it quickly and easily."
Sue Taylor, Fire Chief
"I want to let you know that I am pleased to be able to show the PEAC to the students
in the HAZWOPER class I taught this week. In one exercise each person had to use several
different resources to gather specific information on different chemicals. Each student
began using the various resource books that were available. Every student was eagerly
waiting their turn to pull up their chemicals on PEAC. Before the exercise was over
everyone had learned how to use the PEAC. All agreed that it was definitely the best
source of information and the handiest piece of equipment with such useful information."
Chuck Massie, HAZ-MATTERS, Rapid City, SD
"Our Department held a Hazardous Materials Operations Level Refresher with both on-duty
and off-duty personnel. At the end of the refresher there was a drill. Three personnel
were assigned to research, two with our usual reference manuals and one on the phone
to a chemical spill referral service. The only information provided to the participants
were the shipping papers containing six chemical names and the fact that it was a
leaking liquid that smelled like ammonia. I stood off to the side and, with less than
one hour of previous practice, used PEAC. I was able to run the list by myself, identify
the leaking chemical, select the proper level of protective clothing and determine
the size of the recommended evacuation area based on our local on-scene situation.
Your PEAC unit let me do all of that faster than the research team could identify
the chemical. It is very simple to use, fast, accurate and overall, very impressive."
George Peters, Wilton Fire Department, CT
We ran across PEAC and gave it a try in some of our HazMat technician and specialist
classes. We now use three systems in those classes. Which one do responders use in
our exercises? PEAC. It gives them the information they need right away and they don’t
have to have a computer there to do it. They get what they want from a handheld device
with long battery life and a truly easy-to-use operation system. All of this with
virtually no training. PEAC gives responders information they need immediately in
a package that takes up no more room than a cellular phone and doesn’t require expensive
and time-consuming support.
Vance Bennett, California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, San Luis
Obispo, CA
I received the training on the PEAC WMDv5 Decision Support Tool on August 28, 2007, in Houston, TX. The PEAC arrived at my office on August 30, 2007. On Friday, September 7 (exactly a week and a day later), we had the first HAZMAT incident to which we deployed the PEAC.
The MABAS 52 Hazmat Team responded under mutual aid to the Grayville, IL Fire Department. A semi-tractor trailer hauling high-calcium lime caught fire when its load became wet in a rainstorm. The driver received treatment for first and second degree burns causing a endothermic reaction.
When I first responded, I found several members of our Team scouring hazardous materials references trying to identify the substance involved. When I advised the IC that I had the PEAC, the IC advised me to respond to the scene.
At the scene, there was a lot of confusion as to the exact nature of the material involved. The fact that one victim received burns caused us to have an over abundance of caution on how to proceed. When we finally received the correct information on the product carried on the truck, I was able to use the PEAC and advise the IC as to its properties, hazards, and appropriate level of PPE. The IC was initially skeptical of the information because the PEAC was new and untested. However, EPA and the product manufacturer verified the information by phone.
We were able to stand down from our full HAZMAT response and rescind the evacuation order for the surrounding community in Grayville. Needless to say, we have a new-found respect and confidence in the PEAC WMDv5. It is now a routine tool in our HAZMAT response. The MABAS 52 Hazmat Team is made up of volunteers from area fire departments. The Wabash County Health Department is also a member and fills the roles of Safety/Science Officer using the PEAC as our primary reference resource. We also have access to WISER, CAMEO,ALOHA, and MARPLOT on our laptop computer.
The Incident made front page news in "The Navigator and Journal Register," Volume 13-140, Number 5-37, Wednesday, September 12, 2007.
This grant was so beneficial, we applied for another CEDAP grant this year and were fortunate enough to win approval for another technological tool for our HAZMAT Team. In 2009, we should receive a Radiation Detection First Responder Kit.
Gerald L. Brooks, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, Wabash County Health Department