Bush to glimpse Georgia Tech's emergency-response technology

ATLANTA - Long before September eleventh, a Georgia Tech research scientist saw the need for new technology to assist those who would respond first to a terrorist attack or major disaster. <br> <br> Tom Bevan&#39;s vision led to the creation of the Center for Emergency Response Technology, Instruction and Policy -- CERTIP -- at the school three years ago. In that short time, CERTIP has developed some nifty gadgets, including a radar flashlight that can see through walls and a tiny sensor that can detect dangerous chemicals. <br> <br> The center will get some national attention Wednesday when President Bush stops for a half-hour tour during a visit to Atlanta. <br> <br> Bush is taking a side trip to the center on a swing through the country to help Republicans regain the Senate. Later Wednesday, he is scheduled to appear at a campaign fund-raiser for U.S. Representative Saxby Chambliss, who is trying to oust Democratic Senator Max Cleland. <br> <br> Bevan said a series of letter bomb and anthrax hoaxes in Atlanta several years ago first got him thinking about homeland defense and the needs of ``first-responders.&#39;&#39; Looking for money for the research, he sought the support of Georgia&#39;s congressional delegation, which eventually resulted in a partnership with the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory. <br> <br> Since then the center has managed to build a network of organizations to advise and test the new ideas, including the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, local police and fire departments, hazardous materials teams and medical professionals.