The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate was awarded a U.S. patent for a DHS-developed tool designed to predict consequences and potential outcomes from terrorist use of explosives in the U.S.
DHS said Tuesday the Homeland Explosive Consequence Assessment Tool, a.k.a. the HExCAT, is a fully integrated modeling system that helps emergency managers and response planners prepare communities for large-scale, scenario-specific hazards.
The tool was developed under the Homeland Security Presidential Directive-19 Combating Terrorist Use of Explosives in the United States, which aims to prevent, detect, respond and protect communities against explosive attacks.
“With the HExCAT, response planners are now equipped with a fully integrated system that predicts the likely consequences of an explosion, including human injuries, structural damages, and medical responses, helping us evaluate a range of what-if scenarios and focus our energy on the most effective means of prevention, detection, mitigation and response,” said Helen Mearns, deputy director of DHS S&T’s Chemical Security Analysis Center.
CSAC developed the HExCAT with support from S&T’s Explosives Threat Assessment Program, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Battelle and Leidos.
