ORLANDO, FL – The FBI will join forces with other major security agencies, November 3 – 5, to conduct counter-terrorism exercises in Orlando. International agencies and experts from 30 countries will come together at the Convergence 2010 Summit to boost counter-terrorism capabilities and examine new security technology. An innovation in mobile forensics laboratories, developed by GERMFREE, will be premiered at the event. GERMFREE’S units were deployed to provide rapid threat assessment at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

This summit will bring international leaders in counter-terrorism to Orlando to confront the most extreme global security threats, specifically CBRNe (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and explosive). Convergence amasses an exceptionally diverse range of civil and military organizations such as the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate of the FBI, London’s Metropolitan Police and The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. A critical element of the summit is to demonstrate the latest advancements in counter-terrorism and CBRNe technology.

GERMFREE will unveil a new class of mobile rapid response laboratories. These high-containment labs provide unprecedented on-site surveillance, detection and forensic capabilities to accurately identify any suspicious material, such as biological, chemical or radiological agents. “These labs are a significant advancement in rapid on-site threat assessment” says Keith Landy, President of GERMFREE. “We have now produced the first commercially manufactured, mobile high-containment forensics laboratories.”

GERMFREE’S mobile units provide the critical resources for on-site surveillance, command and control of a high-profile event or incident. These capabilities were previously available only at major fixed-site facilities. They essentially close the gap between the first responder, the investigator and the incident commander. “GERMFREE’s mobile forensic laboratories are designed to support our law enforcement community and be effective for a CBRNe event of consequence.” according to mobile labs expert Monica Heyl. “These labs are versatile, reliable and rugged. When on-site, they allow incident commanders to make rapid decisions” says Heyl who directed CBRNe/Mobile programs for the US Army.

The forensic units to be presented for the first time, have already been successfully deployed to such high-profile, global security events as the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the most recent G8 and G20 Summits. Dr. Dennis Reutter, a CBRNe expert, further explains the rationale for these mobile labs: “During national events, I believe that it is critical to have facilities and capabilities to receive and classify and, if possible identify, questioned samples (potentially containing Chemical, Radiological or Biological threats) rapidly and with high confidence. As a matter of practicality and logistics, those facilities and capabilities must be in near proximity to the national event.” Reutter, who established the Edgewood Chemical and Biological Forensic Analytical Center, continues “I believe that the mobile laboratories that have been fabricated by Germfree for the Canadian Government represent a flexible, mobile and important contribution toward filling this critical need.”