Annual Shelter Review: Industry Delivers on Shelter Needs

Stringent Requirements have produced an array of innovative solutions.

by Tom Marlowe, MMT Correspondent
 

Whether a military is expeditionary— whether the mission is military or humanitarian— it relies on a tremendous range of very temporary to many not necessarily so temporary shelters to protect and provide levels of comfort to its troops for basic housing and facility needs, headquarters and communications centers, storage and warehousing, and maintenance and repair shops, to name a few.

While every shelter is built for the rigors of its designed purpose, the needs of a medical shelter, regardless of size, is perhaps the most critical of all. With sterility and sophistication sensitivity of equipment being of then highest standards, manufacturers have met these standards with a host of shelters from small to large. Every year, MMT looks at a cross-section of what industry is offering to monitor the advancement of the technology availability and the improvement if designs.

MEDICAL FIRST RESPONDERS AND DHS

“In the past year we have sharpened our focus within the marketplace and have developed a strategy which closely addresses the recommendations identified by medical, emergency and first-responders toward crisis preparation and response,” said Mike Stolarz, Base-X vice president of sales. “Particularly those which center on portable shelter solutions to set up alternative care sites. Already, Base-X has offered for several years turnkey medical systems directly through its manufacturing capabilities. We combine shelter, power and environmental control units and then bring onboard new products to enhance our line.”

According to the company, their flagship medical system is the Emergency Medical Treatment and Triage System [E-MTTS], a sixbed medical system perfect for sporting events, or other mass gatherings. Within minutes an agency can setup a Base-X shelter which is clean and ready-to-move-in thanks to the separate liner with integral flooring, electrical wiring and HVAC plenum. One of the advantages of this system is that the same shelter may be used for many other emergency response uses, such as a point of distribution for medication dispensing, population control or processing. As the most forward-deployed medical system, agencies can be assured that they have the best equipment in all-hazards and any environment. Change out a few assets and turn this system into an isolation unit, decon station or emergency operations center as well.

Base-X emergency operations centers provide crucial infrastructure to facilitate oversight and interagency communications when everything in the surrounding environment is compromised or down.

Leveraging their manufacturing capabilities, they developed a lightweight, floor-standing screen/projector combo called the visual display system. The VDS is available with a large or small screen and adjusts heights. The VDS comes complete with transit case, individually adjustable legs for uneven terrain, cables and short-throw projector which may be set in a front or rear-mounted orientation. Now the visual component provides staff across several locations a common operating picture of the situation in the field.

Some of the other enhancements and additions Base-X has made over the past year include changes to our inflatable shelters and an addition to our power generation product line. For those customers that need an inflatable shelter, they offer the Air Base-X inflatable shelter designs into modular segments to allow for more flexibility in addressing footprint and complexing needs. These shelters also come in large sizes ideally suited for vehicle and air craft maintenance. Additionally, theyhave developed solar power panels that fit on shelters for use in emergencies and disasters when no utility power is available. The system is deployed as a solar power tarp and has proven to be a very effective power generation option.

“Our solutions clearly offer to any agency the quality and efficiency of cost, manpower, logistics and even fuel to meet or exceed the needs and recommendations within the homeland responder market,” said Stolarz. “There is absolutely no need to purchase several types of shelters to handle any of those applications which reduces the overall cost to the customer.

HIGH MOBILITY

The manufacturer of Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelters (DRASH) shelters—DHS Systems LLC of Orangeburg, N.Y.—announced it had teamed up with Northrop Grumman Corp. in May to supply the U.S. Army with high-mobility tactical operations centers consisting of military shelters supported by trailers that provide power for air conditioning, electronics, lights, and other systems required to run a mobile command center.

The Army is deploying the shelters to combat brigades in Iraq and Afghanistan under an effort worth up to $240 million for the companies. DHS Systems anticipates the Army will place additional orders in the next five years to shelter sustainment brigades as well as Reserve and National Guard forces.

The Army Aviation and Missile Command hired the companies under a contract for its Standardized Integrated Command Post Systems (SICPS) Family of Trailer Mounted Support Systems (TMSS). DHS Systems provides a medium and large variant under the contract. The medium gives troops about 442 square feet of space, while the large has more than 1,100 square feet of space. Set up times for both are less than 40 minutes, according to the company.

The accompanying trailers, designed for towing with Light Medium Tactical Vehicles and others in the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, generate electrical power and climate control. Northrop Grumman provides the command post platform that serves as the base for SICPS/TMSS deployment. Northrop Grumman Mission Systems also fulfills requirements for program management and logistics under the contract.

DHS Systems manufactures the SICPS infrastructure sections of the mobile operations centers at its headquarters in New York, but it makes the TMSS portion of the high-mobility trailer at a new facility in Huntsville, Ala., located near the Army Aviation and Missile Command client.

In addition to manufacturing specialty shelters such as medical-purpose shelters and communications centers, DHS Systems offers small S series, large XB series, even larger J series, specialized C series (for command post), and M series shelters. In April, DHS Systems redesigned its medium-sized M series shelter to make it larger, lighter and cheaper.

The old M series shelter contained 650 square feet of space but the new one offers 748 square feet. The previous M series weighed 1,230 pounds and the new one 1,115 pounds. The redesigned shelter has two doors on each side. Its end caps make it easy to adjoin or use in conjunction with other shelters in the M series.

DHS Systems has deployed more than 12,000 shelters and 3,500 trailers worldwide in support of U.S. and NATO military forces.

COLLECTIVE PROTECTION

A young new shelter company has made a big splash in collective protection in the last year, becoming part of the Joint Expeditionary Collective Protection (JECP) shelter system technology demonstration. Designs from Utilis USA of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., were submitted by the major bidders for the JECP system, which are designed to provide collective protection to joint expeditionary forces against environments contaminated by chemical, biological, radiological (CBR) agents. Utilis’ large standalone shelters will potentially become a part of JECP.

“Although it is made completely here in the United States, it’s a design that is licensed from a European company so a lot of NATO forces are already using it in other countries. While the manufacturing occurs here in the United States, as we move out with other forces, we will see the same design,” said Tom Eggers, Utilis director.

The shelters are fast to set up because they use a unique pulley system to deploy the shelter’s outside lining and protective liner in one quick move. The U.S. Army and the Air Force conducted evaluations of the shelters in the past year and started buying them after being impressed with the speed of setup. Officials at the company are particularly proud to have U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) as a client, as the speed of setting up the shelters and their durability is unparalleled, Eggers said.

“Normally with quick-erect shelters, customers are giving up durability for speed,” Eggers noted. “We are being told from our users that we are the first that don’t sacrifice that. We are keying on being robust, rapid and reliable—which quick-erect shelters haven’t been in the past.”

“The setup time for our shelter is the fastest that I know of, he said”. “You can have a full tent set up in under three minutes, and ready for staking and equipment and all of that, which is half of what our competitors are.”

AFSOC appreciates the small package volume of the Utilis shelters as well as their durability, Eggers commented, leading the agency to designate Utilis shelters as the primary shelter for its 100-man bed-down package. The reduction in size of the packaged volume per shelter enabled AFSOC to add several five-ton air conditioning units to the previous number of pallets, providing its troops with extra cooling.

Utilis also recently introduced its new TXL series shelters, which warfighters can use in various configurations for vehicle maintenance, command and control, or field hospital shelters. The TXL shelters use an external frame design found on other Utilis shelters, including the standard TM series. The external frame provides the durability often lacking in many quickly erected shelters. It also helps with storage, according to the company. Users can combine the traditional TM shelters with TXL shelters to form a single, large complex. Individual Utilis shelters come in sizes from 200 to 650 square feet.

SHELTER LIGHTING

In recent years, there have been significant advances in technology with respect to options for lighting in expeditionary shelters. Jameson, LLC, a manufacturer and provider of portable fluorescent stringable shelter lighting to military and government installations worldwide, stands at the forefront of this advancing technology.

Older style tent or shelter lighting can be fragile, heavy, not reliable and not efficient. With the increased military focus on tactical and expeditionary practices these are issues that need to be considered. Responding to this, Jameson’s offerings feature a weight and packaged cube that is less than half that of conventional fluorescent lights; electronic ballast technology that provides flicker-free light that is cool to the touch; reduced power consumption; and increased light output.

Particularly critical in medical shelters, Jameson offers specialized lights that provide the highest level of electromagnetic interference (EMI) protection. Such protection prevents detection as well as harmful compromising of peripheral electronics and medical equipment.

Their lights come standard with adjustable hanging straps, adjustable blackout filter for light discipline, individual on-off switch and pass through power capability, making them ideal for field hospitals, command posts, tactical shelters and maintenance.

In addition to EMI protection, these rugged lights employ multiple voltage technology and can be operated from 110V or 230V power sources at 50 or 60 Hz.

Jameson also produces and provides general purpose shelter lighting that offers the same durability, portability and efficiency without the high level of EMI protection. Ideal for mess shelters, vestibules, maintenance enclosures, and decontamination shelters, these lights are available with individual on/off switches, blackout filter and multiple voltage (230V) capability.

AIR BEAM SHELTER

Mobile Medical International Corp. (MMIC), based in St. Johnsbury, Vt., provides shelters to serve as field medical hospitals, offering alternatives to older inflexible Deployable Medical Systems (DEPMEDS). MMIC previously introduced air beam technology to its shelters, creating flexible and rapidly deployable hospital structures to U.S. armed forces. Recently, the company joined forces with Oxley Inc., an LED lighting company, to incorporate LED lighting and infrared-secure features into its air beam tents.

“As part of the total integrated people support package, the LED lighting and electrical connections being in place when the unit is inflated saves valuable time and diminishes the opportunity for these pieces to be other than where they are intended to be. Integrated packaging is critical to mission success,” said Dr. Paul Carlton, former U.S. Air Force Surgeon General, of the shelters.

In the past, lights in mobile surgical units consisted of fluorescents bulbs, which were fragile. Warfighters had to package them separately from other shelter components to protect them, which lead them to sometimes arriving separately from other shelter components in the field.

Once assembled, fluorescent lights also had to warm up before they could supply full brightness. The lights often provided discoloration during difficult medical procedures and were easily broken, posing challenges to medical personnel who relied upon them. The tougher LED lights save costs because troops do not have to replace them as often, and they are easier to throw away as there are fewer environmental concerns with their disposal.

Introducing integrated LED lights to the MMIC tactical air beam shelters truly make them equivalent to modern fixed medical facilities, MMIC president and CEO Rick Cochran told MMT.

“If you are looking at a DEPMEDS replacement initiative, this allows a similar space to the current DEPMEDS but it takes less than a minute to open up. It’s a box in a box design. That’s remarkable because you don’t end up with any swinging walls or clips. You don’t have any of the issues you have with the traditional DEPMEDS,” Cochran said.

“Theothernecessarycomponentyouwould require is some kind of heating/air conditioning/ generator package,” Cochran continued. “You can either use what the military currently uses or as they look to transition and upgrade, we have built an extremely modular design.” MMIC has engineered its shelters to fit in specialized Tricon containers, making them easy to transport. A second Tricon container carries a utility module that supports the inflatable shelters.

“The value you get is that now in the same footprint but smaller modules that link together to form an ISO—one C-130 load— you can have this wonderful operating room support package with utility modules and a USS or a 32-bed hospital that is all fully integrated with an NBC liner, LED lighting integrated into the airbeam shelter, and electrical drops,” Cochran stated. “I don’t know of anyone who has anything that is as comprehensive or as rapidly deployable as what we have.”

SHOWERING SYSTEMS

Western Shelter Systems, located in Eugene, Ore., has for two decades been providing shelters, showering systems, medical and field sinks, on demand multi-fueled hot water delivery systems, water purification, and a host of other water handling products for customers who take their business off the beaten path. Their mobile hospitals are used extensively by DHS and public health agencies as well as local medical and emergency responders.

“Our showering designs offer numerous advantages over other systems”, Rick Stewart, director of military sales, told MMT. “Their deployment and operational use around the world in a wide variety of shelters and applications have proven their durability and sustainability in some of the most inhospitable places and deployed field conditions on earth. These systems are durable, dependable, light weight, and portable; even our largest 16 person showering structures can be established by as few as two people without tools.”

“Our shower and water handling systems provide rapid establishment and simple integration with almost any other shelter. Modular, expandable, reconfigurable, and interoperable are all intrinsic qualities of these systems while not exclusively limiting themselves to our own shelter designs. No other showering systems offer end users as much configuration control for meeting their specific roles and mission oriented responsibilities. They lend themselves by design, to the unique and diverse requirements of all customers.”

In addition to their role as a leading structure provider of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, USAR and DHS/NDMS/DMAT, Western Shelter Systems has been a central figure in sheltering, showering, tactical decon, and other base camp concerns for agencies, hospitals, specialty teams, the military, and other elite entities of the national response element.

“The Western Shelter Systems military/ DoD team recognizes your demand for the highest standards of reliability, interoperability, and performance,” said Stewart. “We appreciate the importance you place on product integrity and dependability when operating under austere and challenging environmental extremes. Thus, everyproductmanufacturedordeveloped by us begins with these principles and standards in mind.”

Mil-Spec and Berry-Compliant materials in both desert sand and olive drab are available from Western Shelter Systems.

MEDICAL RESPONSE

Alaska Structures of Anchorage, Alaska, has been experiencing strong sales of its medical shelters in the past year.

“We are still selling a lot of shelters—over 500 in the past year—to the U.S. Air Force EMEDS program for active duty forces and Air National Guard units and to the U.S. Army Combat Support Hospital program, but we haven’t developed any new military medical shelters in the last year,” elaborated Gerrit Boyle, executive vice president of government programs at Alaska Structures.

“However, we developed a civilian version of our Alaska Medical Shelters in 2004 and have been selling a lot of deployable medical facilities to first responder agencies across the country and to non-governmental organizations such as AmeriCares for use in China and Pakistan as semi-permanent hospitals,” Boyle told MMT.

The Alaska Medical Shelters come from a division of the company called Blu-Med Response Systems. In addition to serving as medical facilities, Blu-Med shelters also function as portable shelters for command centers, temporary housing, and base encampments. Troops also can build complexes from the Alaska shelters to expand upon their uses. Alaska Medical Shelters, designed to meet US Air Force specifications, comprise about 650 square feet of space.

Blu-Med Response Systems offers medical equipment packages and specialized services to accompany the shelters. Support services include inventory management, training and exercise support, and field deployment.

Alaska Structures also experienced strong sales in other areas, logging a peak month of $30 million in sales in September 2007. Those sales totaled nearly $30 million in military and commercial orders for more than 2,700 shelters, containers and environmental control units (ECUs). The company’s 5- and 2.5-ton ECUs are lightweight and ruggedized to meet military requirements, which demand durable and mobile units. The units have a proven track record of cooling and heating troops operating in extreme weather conditions, including U.S. Army forces in Combat Support Hospital shelters, U.S. Air Force units in medical shelters and Bare-Base shelters, and U.S. Special Operations Forces.

In the past decade, Alaska Structures has supplied more than 15,000 shelter systems to the DoD and more than 3,000 shelters to the UK Ministry of Defence. The company recently opened a new office in California to deal with growing demand for its military shelters. At the beginning of fiscal 2008, strong sales prompted Alaska Structures to announce it would expand its workforce and manufacturing by 25 percent.

TRUCK SHELTERS

Gichner Systems Group Inc. of Dallastown, Pa., has been producing tactical shelters for nearly 40 years. Its Gichner Shelter Systems division has received considerable praise for its shelters designed for HMMWVs and trucks in the past year.

On August 18, Gichner Shelter Systems announced it received a contract from the U.S. Army for its double door endwall (DDE) shelters, which go onto the back of Hummers. Gichner previously produced a shelter for Hummers that had a standard single personnel door, but the new DDE shelters have double doors on the rear to provide greater flexibility for entering and exiting the shelter. The DDE shelters are designed for use on armored Hummers, although they themselves are not armored.

Natick Soldier Systems designated Gichner as the sole contractor for Army Standard Family Expandable Shelters for the U.S. Army in July 2005 under a five-year contract, placing more than $4.5 million in orders on the contract since that time. The company’s expandable rigid-wall shelters weigh 5,300 pounds but can carry up to 9,700 pounds. The rigid panels are aluminum facing with honeycomb cores.

COMPACT OPTIONS

Johnson Outdoors Inc. has been manufacturing Eureka! brand tents for over 100 years. With more than a century of tent and soft shelter experience, they offer a range of options for the military, government, commercial and personal use.

The company’s core strengths in leadership, design, innovation and quality were driving factors in the development of the RDS—Rapid Deployable System. This unique tent system was developed to be set up with four or five people and mission-ready in under 14 minutes. The RDS was designed for fast, easy, durable and versatile deployment, for use in any remote base operations needs, including first responders, medical and surgical suites, command post, logistics, billeting and a host of other critical in-thefield operations.

In addition to the RDS, Eureka! tents have a long history with military operations worldwide. Eureka! began developing the current Modular General Purpose Tent System (MGPTS) design in 1997. Accortding to the company they have been a leading supplier to the military on other tent/ shelter projects, including the U.S. Army 3-man Lightweight Extreme Weather Shelter (LEWS), the 2-man Marine Combat Tent, the 4-man Extreme Cold Weather Tent (ECWT), the Canadian Survival Environmental Protector Tent (SEP), the Individual Combat Shelter (ICS), the extremely popular Tent, Combat, One-Person (TCOP) and the chemical/ biological liner for the MGPTS.

SPECIAL FORCES

Sierra Designs, a unit of American Recreation Products in Boulder, Colo., has been manufacturing commercial tents and shelters since 1965. In the past five years, however, the company has been working closely with U.S. special forces to develop shelters to fit their highly specialized needs.

As a result, Sierra Designs has begun offering military sleep shelter systems that come complete with three sleeping bags, a bivy sack, and two single-man shelters. The company also has several products that are standard issue for U.S. Navy SEALs in their PEPSE kits. Those products are an assault sleeping bag along with a 40 Winks bag, an assault bivy, and a solo assault shelter.

The assault sleeping bag fits around a body pretty tightly, complete with a jacket hood. Sierra Designs made it to stretch and fit the subject’s body, eliminating constriction—a problem the company identifies as the top reason for restless sleep. The fitted bag enables a warfighter to sleep on his side, back or belly easily while maintaining his body heat. The fitted bag also reduces the weight of warfighter equipment and avoids wasting space.

The 40 Winks bag affords warfighters even more comfort for long-term stays in the shelter. The bag has zippers designed to enable the warfighter to move his hands to operate electronics or perform other tasks as required. It also comes with a NightCap Hood, a specially designed hood that allows full arm movement into the hood of the bag. Warfighters also can fold their arms under their head for a better night’s sleep inside the hood.

The assault bivy is an even more enclosed bag made of Gore-Tex fabric for keeping warfighters as warm as possible. SEALs inside are completely encapsulated and can even put a sleeping bag and pad inside of the bivy. Finally, the solo assault shelter is a 22-square foot shelter intended for one-man operations. Two shelters can be joined together if necessary. ♦