Patent ID: 8154399

Claim:
A method for operating a CBRNE detection system that comprises a plurality of CBRNE detectors that monitor one or more parameters that, as a function of a value thereof, are potentially indicative of elevated levels of a CBRNE agent and of the occurrence of a CBRNE event, wherein the method comprises: selecting a first alert-to-alarm processing mode from a plurality of different alert-to-alarm processing modes, wherein the alert-to-alarm processing modes determine whether or not to issue an alarm that a CBRNE event has occurred based on one or more alerts from one or more CBRNE detectors, wherein the alerts signify that the one or more parameters meet or exceed a threshold; changing to a second alert-to-alarm processing mode based on a triggering condition selected from the group consisting of an output from an environmental sensor suite, calendrical time, a security alert level as determined by an agency; evaluating the alerts in accordance with at least the second alert-to-alarm processing mode; and issuing or not issuing the alarm based on the results of the evaluation.