North County Times – North San Diego and Southwest Riverside County columnists — Interesting
A radiation detection monitor mounted on a Rancho Santa Fe fire truck sounded an alarm Tuesday when the Valley Center man walked by it. Police eventually stopped his car as he drove through Escondido, only to discover that the alarm had been triggered by the man’s medical implant.
Police and firefighters are being provided with the sensitive cell phone-sized radiation monitors through federal Homeland Security grants, as a way to equip local agencies with tools to make the public safer from terrorism attacks, particularly “dirty bombs” or small radiation weapons.
via E. Campbell
If the detectors are THAT sensitive, it may be a good sign! But I wouldn’t feel TOO safe, as, as far as I understand it, they’re too few and far between to be of any practical use… With any luck this is all you’re gonna get – false positives!
The whole country is becoming like a big test center. Now the firefighters are fighting terrorism. Not a bad idea really. Pittsburgh is planning on closing down a bunch of fire stations because of a lack of funding. I guess all this Homeland Security money is going for new technology. They are looking at the possibility of empty fire stations. I guess if your house is on fire, you could be screwed when the fire station is closed down. I think closing fire stations is a big mistake. It sounds like some of this new technology is prone to mistakes. You can’t beat more men and eyes and ears. Preventing terrorism is a lot like preventing fires.