Janus Global Operations assists Iraqi government in restoring Ramadi cancer treatment machines for U.S. State Department program

LENOIR CITY, Tenn., Aug. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Thanks to Janus Global Operations' explosive ordnance experts in Ramadi, Iraq, ISIS's efforts to disrupt stabilization and deny cancer treatment to Iraqi patients have failed. Janus Global personnel cleared a safe path through a building laden with explosives-contaminated rubble to gain access to two of the country's four radiation therapy machines. This enabled the Iraqi Ministry of Health to allocate funds to rebuild the war-shattered hospital to restore treatment to Iraqis suffering with cancer. 

The cancer hospital is one of four major medical facilities (kidney, fever, pharmacy, and cancer) within the Ramadi Medical Complex. The complex, built with U.S. donor funds, was nearly completed when ISIS captured Ramadi in 2014. The city was liberated at the beginning of 2016.

Janus Global, an integrated stability operations company, has been working since April 2016 on a project for the U.S. State Department's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement to clear Iraq of the tens of thousands of ISIS-planted and residual explosive devices. Janus Global had previously cleared roads leading to the medical complex, pharmacy, a disease clinic, and reception area.

According to Iraqi officials, the radiation therapy machines represent 50 percent of Iraq's ability to fight cancer with this technology and the loss has been devastating to cancer patients. The Ministry of Health and the mayor of Ramadi asked that the site be evaluated and determine what could be done to rescue, quite literally, these machines.

As ISIS was driven from Ramadi, its members destroyed vital infrastructure or placed improvised explosive devices to create chaos and cause death and injury to innocent civilians within the city. The cancer hospital suffered damage from ISIS's efforts to raze it and from the fighting to liberate Ramadi. 

Fortunately, ISIS didn't destroy the radiation treatment machines before they were driven from the area, either because they didn't realize their value or because they thought the machines might be a lure that would provoke further death and injury from other IED's when the machines were discovered by returning Iraqi security and medical personnel.

The challenge for Janus Global's experts was determining how safely to access the machines. Ramadi's mayor provided a structural engineer who helped Janus determine that the structure was stable enough for work to begin.  Nonetheless, the structure contained rubble that in some places reached three-feet high, and explosive devices could have been anywhere within the rubble.  In addition, Janus also had to determine that the potential hazards from radiation sources in the cancer treatment machinery were within acceptable levels before proceeding and to craft a removal path where the machinery could be recovered without any injury through radiation exposure.  Before proceeding, Janus Global's CBRN expert ensured that all machinery was safe for clearance personnel, for reconstruction crews who will rebuild the facility, and for the medical staff who will ultimately operate the reconstructed hospital.

A 240 square-meter pathway was explored and cleared with Janus Global technicians using their fingertips and flashlights. After the initial work to clear the pathway, K-9 dogs, specially trained to sniff-out explosives, were brought in to search the area.

In total, within the medical complex, Janus Global's explosive ordnance professionals located more than 50 explosive devices, among them hand grenades; 155 millimeter artillery shells; 39 IED main charges; and an assortment of improvised mortars, explosives detonators, and small arms ammunition.

Following Janus Global's remediation program, the Ministry of Health has decided to rebuild the medical complex to again provide needed medical care for the Iraqi people.

About Janus Global: Janus Global Operations is an integrated stability operations company with thousands of employees serving clients in North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Janus' services include munitions response; demining; IED remediation; intelligence support; logistics; life support; risk management; communications; and other services in some of the world's most challenging and hostile environments. Janus is a portfolio company of DC Capital Partners. The company's website is www.janusgo.com.

About DC Capital Partners: DC Capital Partners is a private equity investment firm headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia focused on making control investments in middle market, U.S.-based, Government Services and Engineering & Construction Services businesses. Learn more at www.dccapitalpartners.com.

SOURCE Janus Global Operations

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