The Energy of Innovation

NATIONAL AND HOMELAND SECURITY S&T

Hazmat Cam

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Engineers at Idaho 

National Laboratory are 

well-known for their 

ability to solve complex nuclear, environmental and national 

security challenges through the 

development and deployment 

of unique technology. 

When the U.S. Army National Guard approached INL 

engineers with the need to more 

quickly relay crucial information to command posts from 

chemical, biological or radiological contamination zones, 

the result was an award-winning lightweight, wireless video 

camera system that transmits 

encrypted video up to five 

miles away. Today, this situational awareness technology 

is known as the Hazmat Cam, 

and is used by more than 35 

military units, fire departments 

and urban search-and-rescue 

teams across the country. It is 

commercially available from 

Baltimore-based View Systems, 

Inc. and is marketed as the 

Visual First Responder. 

The Hazmat Cam was 

designed for flexibility and includes unique features such as 

the capability to transmit and 

record video streams across 

multiple platforms and a fully 

submergible waterproof housing for easy decontamination. 

Additionally, each Hazmat 

Cam includes a three-antenna, 

true-diversity receiver that 

minimizes signal distortion in 

urban environments. Traditional wireless video uses one 

antenna and a single receiver. 

The problem with this configuration is that signals multipath – bouncing off other 

structures, buildings, and even 

people – on their way to the 

receiver. This causes interference and seriously degrades 

the video images. Since users 

of any handheld wireless camera are constantly moving, the 

problem is compounded. 

But the Hazmat Cam receiver 

seeks the strongest signal 

from each of the three antennas and locks in this signal. 

It completes this scan over 

1,000 times per second, much 

faster than a human viewer 

would notice. This triplediversity receiver results in 

A real-time wireless video system 

for CBRNE incident response teams

A pair of Army soldiers use 

the INL-developed Hazmat 

Cam to relay radiation 

readings from an incident 

scene to a command post.
NATIONAL AND HOMELAND SECURITY S&T

07-GA50607

Kevin Young

(208) 526-1782

kevinl.young@inl.gov

A U.S. Department of Energy

National Laboratory

For more information

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a clear, more reliable image 

even under less-than-perfect 

conditions, such as within 

metal buildings or concrete 

tunnels. In fact, the Hazmat 

Cam has even successfully 

transmitted video from inside 

a 150-foot, three-deck steel 

fishing ship. 

Before the development of 

the Hazmat Cam, information 

exchanged between trained 

emergency responders inside 

a hazardous area and the incident commander and technical experts outside the hazardous area was typically limited 

to verbal communication via 

two-way radios. Describing 

a complex hazard scene took 

a lot of valuable time and the 

initial entry team occasionally missed relaying important 

facts about the scene.

With the affordable Hazmat 

Cam, this process is improved, 

and responder safety increases 

because response time is 

reduced and incident commanders and decision makers 

outside the exclusion zone are 

able to see in real time what 

the entry team sees while 

performing initial reconnaissance of a facility or structure. 

The system also eliminates the 

need for repeat entries because 

the footage can be displayed 

on most types of video monitors, or on the system’s own 

color LCD monitor. The feed 

can also be easily recorded or 

transmitted over the Internet to 

support agencies.

In addition, the system has 

other distinguishing features, 

including the Extension Link, 

which is a separate transmitter-and-receiver system that increases the wireless operating 

range of the Hazmat Cam from 

2,000 feet up to five miles. 

The complete Hazmat Cam 

system with Extension Link is 

stored in four cases weighing 

less than 150 pounds, and can 

be fully deployed by one person in a stand-alone configuration in less than 10 minutes. 

The system is completely 

battery operated and can operate for five continuous hours 

by using one spare camera 

battery pack.

Technical experts review real-time video footage from the Hazmat 

Cam at a command post located miles from the incident scene.

The Hazmat Cam has become 

indispensible to a variety of 

emergency responders, such 

as rescue workers, emergency 

managers, firemen and hazmat 

workers.