The Earthcom 70-128 Fiberglass Condo Underground Disaster Shelter / Storm Shelter / Bomb Shelter

THE EC 70-128 DISASTER SHELTER

The EC 70-128 is a totally self-contained 15 psi elliptical arch condominium disaster shelter designed to protect up to 200 adults for long periods or 400 people for short durations such as during tornadoes.

The arches must be assembled on site by local contractors.

The product was specifically designed and developed to protect people during and after disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, storms, forest fires, power failures, nuclear power plant accidents, nuclear/chemical terrorism, and full-scale protracted nuclear, chemical and biological war.

A tremendous effort has been made to think of every conceivable incident that shelterists could face in all types of disasters. Many geometrical shapes were experimented with before finalizing the EC 70-128. The EC 70-128 includes the fiberglass arches, entranceway, emergency escape, life support system, HEPA filters, carbon filters, eight 2500 gallon fiberglass leaching septic tanks, two 2300 gallon stainless diesel fuel tanks, two 55 KW prime power slow speed diesel generators, water filtration system, plans, etc.

DESIGN

The EC 70-128 is a third generation disaster shelter designed and developed by Walton W. McCarthy, M.E., author of PRINCIPLES of PROTECTION, U.S. Handbook of NBC Weapon Fundamentals and Shelter Engineering Standards, Fifth Edition, 2002, 489 pp. The American Civil Defense Association, Starke, FL which is the United State's bible on shelter engineering. He is the principle engineer of RADIUS ENGINEERING INC., with over 30 years experience designing "high-tech" disaster shelters.

The book is distributed by The American Civil Defense Associa­tion (TACDA) in Starke , Florida, and is known in the industry as P.O.P.

The EC 70-128 was designed using CAD (computer aided drafting), CAE (computer aided engineering), and FEAM (3-dimensional finite element analysis and modeling).

A shelterist in the EC 70-128 under heavy, direct effects from two 1-MT nuclear weapons, has at least the same probability of survival (99.7%) as a person living and working in peace­time.

The shape of the EC 70-128 allows it to be a true pressure vessel for resistance to high external pressure. The EC 70-128 shelter system is based on 15 years field experience with McCarthy's successful P6, and P10 fiberglass underground shelters.

POWER SUPPLY

The EC 70-128 is equipped with two 55 kW slow speed prime power diesel generator connected to two 2300 gallon fuel tanks. This size tank will allow the each generator to operate at 50% capacity continuously for approximately 1000 hrs (42 days).

Electrical usage (320 kw per day) is based on the breathing air blower operating 24 hrs/day, generator blower operating when the generator is on, and ample amounts of time for lights, TV, water pump, sump pump, dishwasher, washer and dryer, refrigerator, water heater, stove dehumidifier, etc. The generator will consume 204 cfm of room air at 100% power for combustion.

The generator room is cooled by a 2000 cfm blower that forces fresh filtered air from the room across the generator and up to the top of the shelter where the heat exits the shelter through the air outlet manifolds in the ceiling. The generator room blower will keep the generator room temperature at not more than 10 deg. F. above ambient room air temperature. The exhaust of the generator has a dedicated high temperature exhaust manifold in the shelter ceiling. The batteries used to start the generator create small amounts of hydrogen gas when they are being charged when the generator is one. Hydrogen gas is the lightest gas known and rises to the top of the shelter where it exits the shelter through the air outlet manifolds along with the heat.

During peace time, each generator automatically starts up and runs for 30 minutes every 30 days.

THE CONDO SHELTER CONCEPT

The "Condo Shelter" concept has some strong advantages over personal shelters.

1) Shelterists can live in a normal housing environment that they are accustomed to.

2) Shelterists can enter the shelter by walking down a stairwell so they don't have to enter the shelter like a submarine and climb down a ladder.

3) Shelterists are not alone during a disaster.

4) Having a shelter large enough for multiple families under one safe roof allows services such as medical help, mechanical help, technical help, group emotional support etc.

5) There is enough "extra room" to deal with uninvited friends and relatives during a disaster. The condo shelter, however, needs a legal or business structure to operate well.

The group of people that decides to protect themselves is commonly called survival condo owners (SCO's) or shelterists. The SCO's using the EC 70-128 would first need to form an LLC (Limited Liability Company), non-profit corporation, or some type of association.

Condo Shelter LLC Basic Responsibilities Outline

1. SCO's need to establish a company or association name.
2. Elect officers- secretary, treasurer, construction coordinator to communicate with Radius and the general contractor. The contractor usually answers to Radius.
3. The secretary is normally given the authority to open a bank account for the LLC, deposit money from members and sign checks. LLC Checks can have a double signature from the secretary and construction coordinator if SCO's require.
4. Establish a list of names, addresses and phone numbers of all shelterists and also who to notify in case of emergency. This is useful during a disaster. Everybody should buddy with each other to communicate any possible emergencies and the best way to notify each other when a disaster occurs. This includes normal and alternative routes of movement to get to the shelter, and alternative methods of communication such as ham radios.
5. Files and Photos. All shelterists should have duplicate legal files and photos in their condo.
6. Establish a budget for the construction project.
7. Determine how local property taxes apply to an emergency structure owned by an non-profit LLC or corporation. Decide when money needs to be deposited into the LLC bank account to contractors, taxes and maintenance.
8. Decide on how many apartments and floor plan for all apartments.
9. Determine who owns what percentage of the condo based on percentage of floor plan used, excluding common areas such as center isle, generator room, filter room, exercise room.
10. Decide on what type of people would be useful as condo owners. Ideally, one owner should be a medical person, one should have mechanical skills, one should have legal or police experience, one should have local government experience, one should be a teacher of various subjects, and one should know the effects of NBC weapons. Each condo owner is responsible for bringing to the condo appropriate books and resources of their profession.
11. Decide how to use the second level: storage, extra room for uninvited guests etc.
12. Decide who will be responsible for maintaining the generator room, video surveillance, radio room, cleaning, exercise room etc. All shelterists must share in daily operations.
13. Decide on rules for all shelterists. Is smoking allowed? Are pets allowed and what kind and size?
14. What type of level of defense should the shelter have?
15. Decide who enters the shelter prior to a disaster and during a disaster. How many friends should be allowed in during a disaster? Rules for children.
16. Find and purchase a piece of land.
17. Decide if a general contractor will be hired (recommended).
18. Decide if guns are allowed, what type and how and where they are stored and secured. What solvents, cleaners, paints, etc. should be stored and where.

ENTRANCEWAY and EMERGENCY ESCAPE

The EC 70-128 has an 8 ft diameter fiberglass entranceway with a seismic joint at the connection to the end wall. On the opposite end wall is the emergency escape tunnel. The 8 ft. diameter tunnel has a blind end 3 feet below the ground surface.

In an emergency, a fiberglass cover is removed from inside allowing the earth cover to fall inside so shelterists can make their way 3 feet to the surface if debris falls on top of the hatch. If the shelter is located in ground subject to frost, the area around this tunnel end should be backfilled with crushed stone.

SHELTER CONSTRUCTION

The shelter and entranceway are made of structural fiber­glass manufactured to underground storage tank standards of Underwriters Laboratory, American Society of Testing and Materials, and shelter engineering standards of PRINCIPLES of PROTECTION.

Fiberglass was chosen as the optimum material because of its extremely high resiliency and corrosion resistance plus its ability to be shaped into a compoundly curved structure. The 15 psi (pounds per square inch) external pressure resistance, with no earth arching, is constant over 100 years and does not have to be de-rated like steel each passing year due to corrosion.

Fiberglass also forms a complete vapor barrier which provides a dry atmosphere when placed below ground, and it has proven to be sound in the underground storage tank industries. In addition, one of the greatest characteristics of fiberglass is its ability to "remain intact" if overstressed.

The inside of the shelter is smooth, curved, and white to create maximum brightness with minimal light. All of these facilities function without outside electricity through the use two 55 kW slow speed prime power diesel generators.

The inside surface of the fiberglass arches are easily cleaned with common detergents and is easily repaired.

LEACHING SEPTIC TANK

The EC 70-128 is equipped with a high pressure 2500 gallon ellipsoid underground structural fiberglass leaching septic tank.

The septic tank, with 1500 useful gallons below the leach holes all around the tank, has a duration of more than one year per family.

It is easily pumped out with a manual septic pump from the ground surface by removing the septic tank access plug. Conventional concrete box septic tanks have flat walls and are therefore not able to withstand the external pressure that the EC 70-128 is designed for.

The fiberglass ellipsoid septic tank has all compound curved surfaces to withstand external pressure. It can be installed below the water table with its gravity domes. The earth over the gravity domes creates more gravity force than the hydrostatic force (buoyancy) of the empty septic tank.

SHELTER FACILITIES

The EC 70-128 contains 13,440 square feet and 171,392+ cubic feet. Ceiling height ranges from 10 feet high in the apartments to 21'-8" in the common hall and generator room. This allows for normal living and a very spacious feeling.

Fresh air enters the shelter by reverse curved centrifugal blowers designed to operate 24 hours per day and supplies many times the breathing volume of air required by adults and results in a complete air change every 1.4 hours. This system has the advantage of maintaining negative pressure in the filtration system, positive pressure inside the shelter, constant shelter temperature, constant shelter oxygen levels, constant shelter carbon dioxide levels, and constant shelter mois­ture levels, plus it prevents overheating in warm climates.

Exhausting of hot, moist, spent air is facilitated through the 16 air outlet manifolds in the shelter ceiling. This is the most efficient geometry for exhausting spent air and resisting intruder assaults.

AIR FILTRATION

Each half of the shelter has its own independent air system and each one can support the whole shelter. The air is purified through a three-stage filtration system.

The first filter is the HEPA filter located in the air duct close to the ground level. This filter intakes air from the circular air manifold in the hatch dome entrance at ground level and physically removes dust and airborne contaminates including radioactive fallout and biological warfare agents carriers.

The HEPA filter system is specifically designed to operate in severe weapon effects. Replacement HEPA filters can be installed in a few minutes.

The spent air filter is placed in a plastic bag and thrown out of the shelter hatch. The second and third stage of air filtration takes place in the carbon filter housing located after the HEPA filter. In this carbon filter housing, two layers of carbon are used.

Activated carbon is used to remove radioactive iodine gas and Whetlerite carbon is used to remove chemical agents. Backup carbon filters and centrifugal air blowers are supplied.

The EC 70-128 Owner's Manual details specific safe procedures for replacing contaminated HEPA and carbon filters. Both air inlet and air outlet manifolds have aluminum screens accessible from inside the shelter.

EXERCISE ROOM

The mechanical room opposite the generator room houses the second air filtration system, well, water filtration system, and still leaves room for optional gym equipment.

FOOD STORAGE

There are three methods of food storage.

1) The conventional method of storing food in common cans can be used but the nutritional value is only good for about year. This requires changing all the canned food each year.

2) Dehydrated or freeze dried food can be used which has a life span of about 5 years. This also has the disadvantage of not being familiar food.

3) 5 gallon plastic food tanks can be used to store grain, powdered milk, salt, sugar, beans, TVP (textured vegetable protein) , honey, etc. Each food storage tank holds approximately 20-50 lbs. of food. The material and thickness of these food tanks allows the much preferred carbon dioxide packing of food as opposed to the nitrogen packing of food. Food packed with carbon dioxide can be stored for over 20 years.

HATCH DOME

The S.T.A.R.D. (Stealth Terrestrial Attack Resistant Design) 8 ft. diameter hatch dome at ground level is aerodynamically smooth. The 42 x 84 inch elliptical opening accepts large people and furniture to enter the shelter quickly and easily. The hatch dome contains the recessed hatch cover and is designed for severe impact of high speed flying debris. The angle of incidence of the hatch dome is only 10 degrees to match the berm angle and allow flying debris to glance off.

The hatch dome and hatch cover are designed to resist a non-shattering 3-inch diameter hail ball falling straight down at terminal velocity (87 mph) and impacting directly at a full 90-degree angle of incidence. The hatch dome is also designed to resist a non-shattering 3-inch diameter hail ball traveling horizontally at 150 mph. In addition, the hatch dome can resist a solid 2 x 4 wooden stud impacting the hatch dome like a battering ram or javelin at 350 mph.

Some debris, depending on the size, shape, angle of incidence, and mass, may cosmetically damage the hatch dome. This can be easily repaired with fiberglass repair kits available at marine and automotive supply stores. The hatch dome and cover can be camouflaged in many ways including simple 2 x 8 weathered boards.

The hatch dome is made of a material called "Combat Composite ^TM " which is a structural fire-and bullet-resistant laminate developed by Radius Engineering Inc. The hatch dome is also designed to protect the shelter from a fire reaching 1700 ^o F for one hour while maintaining its structural integrity in compliance to ASTM E119.

This design and material makes the EC 70-128 very stealthy. It produces little or no thermal signature, little or no metallic signature, and little or no radar signature. When the shelter is installed, all that can be seen is the dark army-green hatch dome at ground level. This makes it almost impossible to be detected by modern target acquisition equipment.

It is designed to resist 300-mph winds and more than 8.5 on the Richter Scale.

SHELTER DEFENSE

Although the hatch dome is not impenetrable, it is specifically designed to resist seven basic assaults from people trying to break into the shelter in compliance to P.O.P.

Hatch Cover Exterior Lock

The EC 70-128 hatch can be locked from outside when it is not being used. The padlock and locking bar can be removed from the hatch cover and dome and taken into the shelter to prevent a person outside the shelter from locking shelterists inside.

Hatch Cover And Interior Lock

The hatch cover is connected to the hatch dome by an external recessed hinge. This allows fast and easy entry.

The hatch cover is recessed in the hatch dome which has drain gullies to allow water to drain away from the hatch cover.

A stainless steel rope hoist with an automatic brake is used to secure the hatch cover. This system is designed to resist 16,000 lbs. of uplifting force caused by the negative pressure of a tornado or explosion.

The hatch dome and hatch cover are manufactured according to The National Institute of Justice NIJ standards from Class 0 (standard on EC 70-128) up to Class IV to resist penetration by various threats. The material and thickness vary as the threat level increases.

The classes listed below are based on resisting 90% of all of the bullet types at various velocities listed known as (V-90). The barrel length, feet per second (fps) or meters per second (mps) for the test are noted.

SEISMIC JOINT

The seismic joint connecting the entranceway to the shelter is subject to ground shock and frost heave and responds to these forces differently than the shelter.

A triple axis seismic joint is therefore employed to allow the entranceways free and independent movement from the main shelter in three directions plus translation.

The entranceway is located within the frost line, while the shelter is well below the frost line. This creates tremendous stresses during winter months when the entranceway is forced up 0.5 - 1.25 inches due to frozen ground. The seismic joint removes these stresses by allowing vertical movement of the entranceway and also allows the top of the entranceway to move laterally to maintain structural integrity during rolling ground motion from severe ground shock.

SEALED SHELTER ATMOSPHERE

When ground fires are present around the hatch, the air blower should not be turned on to bring in fresh air.

During this time, the shelterists must breathe in a sealed shelter atmosphere.

The safe duration time is based on a 3% carbon dioxide (CO ₂) limit. The time it takes for the shelter atmosphere to reach this limit is a function of the number of shelterists, degree of physical activity of the number of shelterists, and the volume of the shelter above the floor. This duration is shown above for adults performing mild work.

OVERPRESSURE CHOKING

The EC 70-128 does not use blast valves. Instead, it uses the "overpressure choking" which has no moving parts.

The inlet air valve and outlet air valve are sized to prevent excessive pressure from developing inside the shelter during a nuclear blast. This is a combination of what is known as the Ideal Gas Law combined with Bernoulli's Law. These two theories combined, state that two volumes of air (outside air volume and shelter air volume) with differing pressure will reach equilibrium or "equilibrate" over a period of time.

This period of time depends on the level of overpressure, volume of the shelter, diameter and length of the air inlet and outlet pipe, resistance of air filter, and duration of the overpressure which is very short and constantly decreasing.

Simply stated; the air inlet and outlet are sized so that there is not enough time for the two volumes of air to equilibrate. The outside pressure at maximum duration is simply not able to equilibrate through sixteen 6-inch diameter air outlet manifolds, two air inlet manifolds, and two generator exhaust manifolds within the overpressure duration time.

PLUMBING SYSTEM

The EC 70-128 uses a conventional plumbing system with toilets, sinks, shower, and septic system. The sewage and all gray water is pumped up to the leaching septic tanks by electrical high pressure pumps.

Fittings - Two 1-inch diameter NPTF fittings are located in the hatch dome so CB and Scanner antennas can be installed from inside the shelter. Plugs are provided to be in place when antennas are not in place.

Gas Agent Tester Housing (GATH) -This aluminum unit is installed on the air inlet pipe. It allows visual confirmation of chemical warfare agents without exiting the shelter. The GATH is also designed to collect and drain condensation prior to air entering the HEPA and carbon filter housing.

RADIATION SHIELDING

Radiation shielding from overhead in the EC 70-128 is provided by a minimum of 6 feet of earth at the crown of the shelter ceiling.

With a TRS (Total Rems in Shelter) of 1-15, (1 rem @ 15 psi) a person would receive a maximum acute radiation dose from overhead and through the entranceway for neutron and gamma radiation equivalent to a mammography x-ray.

This dose is based on a 500 KT air burst nuclear weapon, which produces a higher neutron radiation dose than the larger MT weapons, plus fallout doses from a 1 MT surface burst nuclear weapon to maximize the fallout gamma radiation dose.

Based on the worst cancer cases (leukemia) from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki victims, a 10-rem dose may increase the cancer rates from the cur­rent rate of 352/100,000 up to 355/100,000.

It should be kept in mind that the Hiroshima victims were totally unprepared and uneducated. They were malnourished and already suffering from many diseases during a critical wartime period where food, medical supplies, and other necessities were in short supply. In addition, they were not only exposed to heavy, acute external radiation doses but also internal radiation doses from eating contaminated food and inhaling radioactive fallout. Educated shelterists can avoid such damaging effects and can determine the radiation levels with a simple radiation survey meter.

INSTALLATION AND SHIPPING

U.S. citizens have a legal right to install a shelter. Under the second amendment of the United States Constitution, U.S. citizens are guaranteed the right to bear arms to provide protection in life threaten­ing situations. Tornadoes, earthquakes, nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare fall under this amendment as life threatening forces. A disaster shelter falls under this classification as a defensive arm. It will require 20 flatbed over-width tractor trailer loads to deliver the arches, entranceway, emergency tunnel, and septic tanks to the job site. Each arch weights 15,000 lbs.

EXCAVATION

The shelter association hires a contractor to dig a hole with a base dimension of approximately 80 ft x 140 ft x 23'- 8" deep (9,400 yd ³ ). The top dimension should be at least 8 feet wider all around. At this depth, the shelter with 6 feet of earth over the shelter crown will result in the shelter berm being 10 ft. above ground level. The excavation will require approximately 10 days. A 64,000 pound excavator or larger should be used to dig the hole.

A crane or excavator is used to lift the EC 70-128 arches off of the truck and onto the slab for assembly. If the shelter is located in a flood zone, the shelter should be installed by berming at a height above ground so the hatch is at least one foot above the 100-year flood plain or storm surge. Berming can also be used if the shelter is installed in a location which has ledge.

Hydrostatic Pressure

When the shelter is installed at the design depth of 23'-8" the hydrostatic pressure (buoyancy) will reach 654,950 pounds per arch if the water table rises to the ground surface. This hydrostatic force is resisted by earth above the water line and earth below the water line. The earth berm above the water line will develop 755,440 pounds of gravity per arch. The earth below the water line will develop 214,760 pounds of gravity per arch. The total gravity forces of 970,200 pounds exceed the total hydrostatic force by 1.48 making the shelter stable in high water table area.

SHELTER ASSEMBLY (summary)

1. A local surveyor visits the shelter site and determines the 100 year flood plain or storm surge. It is this level that will ultimately determine the depth of the hole. The surveyor marks the corners of the hole and the location of the septic tanks.

2. Temporary fencing is installed all around the perimeter of the site to prevent children or animals from falling into the hole.

3. An excavator is used to dig the hole 80 ft x 140 ft x 23'- 8" deep (9,400 yd ³ ) with a truck ramp. The depth of this hole will require the excavator to load into a dump truck to move the spoil away and out of the hole.

4. The well is drilled per plan using a rotary drill, not the hammer type.

5. A concrete contractor pours the concrete footings.

6. A plumber installs the piping for water and sewer out to the septic tanks.

7. A concrete contractor pours the floor.

8. A 24 hour security guard service is employed on site to watch the site.

9. Arches are delivered and craned off the truck and onto the slab. The arches are all bolted together and stacked flat on the concrete slab starting at the far side.

10. Gasket material is put in place and one arch at a time is tilted up and craned into place. Stainless anchor bolts are installed using a concrete drill. The first arch is bolted to the concrete end wall.

11.Gaskets are bonded onto the next arch and craned up into place and anchor bolts are installed. The arches are bolted together. All the other arches are assembled using the same method.

12. Generators and tanks are delivered and placed in the center of floor. Fiberglass joist brackets are delivered and placed in center of floor.

13. All inside materials such as lumber and sheet rock for the inside partitions, and tile are delivered through the 8 ft diameter holes in the end walls. A good tarp should be used to cover this material.

14. The pre-cast concrete end walls are delivered and craned into place and bolted together and to the arches.

15. The 8 ft. diameter entranceways are craned into place and bolted to the concrete end wall. Wooden columns will be necessary to support the entranceway during backfill.

16. Install entranceway tie down cable and gravity dome.

17. Perforated pipe is positioned around the perimeter of the concrete footing and connected to the sump wells on each entranceway. The sump pump underground hoses are connected and curled up and laid out to the discharge location. Gravel is placed over the pipe and under and over the sump pump discharge hoses.

18. Install video cables – run underground cables to video camera positon.

19. Check that video cables, septic hoses, sump hoses are connected and laid out.

20. The shelter is backfilled with sifted spoil in 2 ft increments and tamped with a Jumping Jack style compactor. This will require an excavator and small loader. If the soil does not drain well, gravel should be placed in the valleys between the beams to provide better drainage. The sump pump hoses, video cables, septic hoses will have to be adjusted constantly as the backfill level rises.

21. When the backfill reaches within 2 feet of the generator exhaust manifoldfittings, the manifolds and manifold seismic joints are installed.

22. When the backfill reaches near the crown of the shelter the air outlet manifolds and seismic joints are installed. The wooden columns that were used to support the entranceway are cut off.

23. Backfill continues per berm plan in 2 ft. increments and compacted.

24. A small dozer is used to grade the berm to plan.

25. An excavator digs 8 holes 24 ft x 27 ft x 5 feet deep. The septic tanks are put in place using the excavator and leveled and the plumbing is connected. Crushed stone (60 yd ³ ) is placed all around each septic tank. Earth is placed over the crushed stone leach bed and graded.

26. Excess spoil is trucked off and the area is graded with the dozer.

27. Wild grass seed and fast growing grass seed is spread all over the berm and over the septic tanks.

28. Generators and diesel tanks are put into position and made fully operational. Diesel fuel (4600 gallons) is delivered by truck.

29. Fresh air blowers and ducts are installed and made operational with HEPA filter.

30. Carpenters frame all walls inside the shelter.

31. Electricians install all wiring.

32. Plumbers install all plumbing including water system from well.

33. Sheet rock is installed and taped and finished.

34. Painting walls and ceiling

35. Flooring is installed, tile only, no wall to wall carpet. Brick can be used in the central hall.

36. Install doors , windows, and all trim.

37. Cabinets are delivered and installed.

38. Electricians and plumbers finish.

39. Radius check-out and SATS (surface attack trials).

40. End on-site security service.

SHELTERS BUILT ON SITE VS. COMMERCIAL SHELTERS

Advantages of purchasing a commercial underground shelter:

1) With shelters built on site, cost overruns are the rule, not the exception. Many well-intended handymen and contractors have constructed shelters which ended up running well over budget and still did not produce an operable shelter. When a shelter is built on site, you really don't know what you will end up with. The EC 70-128 shelter allows people to deal with known costs and a proven shelter system.

2) Shelters built on site require extensive, time consum­ing, and expensive research to develop a "shelter system" capable of providing dependable life support—fresh filtered air, blast protection, clean water, light, corrosion resistance, toilet facilities, air filtration for radioactive fallout, chemical and biological agents, etc., all of which should meet - PRINCIPLES of PROTECTION, U.S. Handbook of NBC Weapon Fundamentals and Shelter Design Stand­ards, by Walton McCarthy, is available for $65.00 from The American Civil Defense Association, (TACDA) Starke, FL (800-425-5397). Even good architects or mechanical and civil engineers, do not have the expertise to develop a good dependable shelter system especially when it must function without local electricity. The EC 70-128 shelter system is based on the ES10 and P10 shelter, which has over 15 years proven field experience and complies with all P.O.P. standards.

3) Shelters built on site require a building permit and confirmation by a local professional engineer because it involves actual construction, including a septic design. The EC 70-128 is a commercially available, professionally engineered disaster shelter with a formal Owner's Manual reviewing all operations. If required, it is much easier to secure a building permit for installing and assembling the EC 70-128 shelter than it is for constructing a shelter on site.

4) Shelters built on site often require many days or weeks to complete construction. During this time, children are exposed to the danger of falling in the hole and curiosity seekers are afforded ample time to see what is being constructed. The EC 70-128 can be installed and bermed in approximately 6 weeks.

5) Shelters built on site have no established market value. The EC 70-128 has a known commercial value which allows financing by banking institutions.

WARRANTY

Radius Engineering Inc. Warranties that the fiberglass parts of the EC 70-128 Disaster Shelter will not leak, corrode, or structurally fail for a period of 20 years provided that

1) the shelter is not exposed to excessive overpressure

2) The structural parts of the shelter are not modified

3) The shelter is inspected, off-loaded, assembled, backfilled and installed in accordance with the company's installation instructions.

The warranty does not apply to the parts and equipment that Radius Engineering Inc. does not manufacture. These items are covered by the individual manufacturers. Radius Engineering Inc. is continuously improving its product and therefore reserves the right to change any specification without notice. Our liability under this warranty shall be limited to, at our option, repair of the shelter, or delivery of a replacement shelter to the point of original delivery, or refund of the original purchase price. We shall not be liable for any indirect or consequential damages, labor, or installation costs.

EC 70-128 TECHNICAL DATA

* PRINCIPLES of PROTECTION, U.S. Handbook of NBC Weapon Fundamentals and Shelter Engineering Standards, Fifth Edition, 2002, 489 pp.

EC 70 – 128 SPECIFICATIONS