September 1 – Through public and private partnerships built in the Tennessee Valley Corridor, portable disaster shelter technology developed at Y-12 for the U.S. Army will be produced in Chattanooga by Adaptive Methods, Inc. The Rapid Deployment Shelter System is a compact, portable disaster shelter that can be deployed around the world for aid in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

 

“This innovative technology being manufactured in Chattanooga will help save lives around the world during emergencies,” said Congressman Zach Wamp, who worked with Y-12, the U.S. military and the private sector for more than a decade to help this project become a reality. “The ability to set up a hard-shelter within minutes during times of crisis will allow those in need to get help in record time. This highly mobile shelter can be configured so that soldiers wounded defending our country can get the medical care of an operating room within minutes if needed. Families who lost their homes in a hurricane can get shelter even when roads are flooded. The design and development of this completely unique shelter is a good example of the government supporting the private sector to solve everyday challenges.”

 

The RDSS will unfold from a 20-foot standard shipping size container into a 400-square-foot shelter at the touch of a button. The shelter system can be transported by truck, train, ship, plane or helicopter. It can easily be reconfigured for a variety of uses, including first responder or family shelters, barracks, offices, command/control/communications centers or medical triage facilities. Future RDSS configurations planned include decontamination units, shower stations, latrine facilities and medical triage centers for disaster relief.  It offers resistance to radiological, biological, and chemical hazards, as well as limited protection from small gunfire. 

 

The RDSS units will be produced in Chattanooga, and Adaptive Methods expects to employ more than 100 engineers and production personnel over the next four years. The Enterprise Center has been a facilitator in connecting Adaptive Methods to various technology enterprises in the Tennessee Valley Corridor. After introducing Adaptive Methods to Y-12, TEC assisted in identifying sources of funding and potential markets for available technologies and continues to initiate contacts within those markets.

 

The technology was named one of the “R&D 100 Awards for 2007” by R&D Magazine, which recognizes the 100 most significant proven technological advances of the year; and received the 2009 Early Innovator Award from the Chattanooga Technology Council.