Other Applications
Although AirSpade is most commonly used in Utility and Arbor, other applications include:
De-Mining / Unexploded Ordnance
Sponsored by the Humanitarian De-Mining Program of the US Army at Fort Belvoir, VA, AirSpade has been incorporated into proprietary systems to efficiently and safely uncover buried land mines. Extensive testing at Fort A.P. Hill, VA concluded that AirSpade significantly reduced the time to find and expose hundreds of anti-personnel and anti-tank training mines over current practices.
Environmental Remediation
Conventional excavation of hazardous materials can be slow, laborous, and potentially dangerous. AirSpade, used in conjunction with the AirVac vacuum unit, makes environmental site remediation easy, fast and non-damaging.
Capabilities include:
• Uncover buried waste containers without fear of puncture
• Excavate tight places inaccessible to conventional backhoes
• Remove material in carefully controlled layers
Trench Rescue
The December 2005 issue of Underground Focus Magazine reports, “Every year in the United States, trenching accidents account for more than 5,000 serious injuries and between 50 and 100 deaths.” According to Lt. Dave Adler of the Addison, IL Fire Department, a leading teacher of trench rescue training and safety, “When a worker is buried in a cave-in, a critical time clock starts and AirSpade can be an effective tool for their rescue.” Today, scores of emergency service providers and rescue squads are equipped with AirSpades.
