First responders face situations every day that threaten their health and safety simply due to the nature of their jobs. While the individuals they encounter could pose a threat of violence, there is also sometimes exposure to blood, chemicals, narcotics and other hazardous substances. Law enforcement officers and fire and EMS crews can never be entirely sure what they’re going to meet when they answer an emergency call, but having the right tools can help mitigate as much risk as possible.
A growing concern among first responders in the field is exposure to fentanyl, an opioid that has held the global spotlight for quite some time. Although overdose deaths from this narcotic saw a slight decline in 2024, it’s a substance that is still killing tens of thousands of individuals in the United States each year. It doesn’t take much fentanyl to cause an overdose or death – only two milligrams can be lethal depending on a person’s size.
Since fentanyl can be disguised in a number of ways, first responders need to exercise caution when working a scene. Presumptive testing is now a common part of departmental protocol, but typical testing solutions can be challenging to incorporate into an often chaotic environment. In many cases, narcotics testing requires first responders to scoop a sample of a substance, pour it into an ampule and shake it, which poses an even greater challenge when done in the dark. Others involve point-and-shoot equipment that is financially out of reach for smaller agencies.
These presumptive testing methods are anything but simple, affordable or efficient, and when a first responder’s safety is on the line, there needs to be a straightforward way to determine if fentanyl is present on scene. Recognizing this gap in the industry is what began a years-long journey for the team at Visual Detection Systems, a female-owned public safety product supplier.
In 2022, researchers at the University of Akron in Ohio began working on the chemistry required to produce a color-changing fentanyl detection product. While it was originally meant to be incorporated into a glove first responders could wear, manufacturing concerns led the team to pivot toward a wet wipe application.
Seeing a significant opportunity to bring a safe, effective and efficient new testing method to the first responder community, Visual Detection Systems secured a Spark Fund award from the University of Akron Research Foundation to begin testing and prototyping.
A deep dive into chemistry
Visual Detection Systems partnered with two primary individuals to research and develop the wet wipe. Douglas Cole, vice president of global product development at Rockline Industries, the largest wet wipe manufacturer in the world, and Abraham Joy, Ph.D., then a professor at the University of Akron’s College of Polymer Science, led the way.
Cole and Joy approached the project from several different angles, starting with the material of the wipe itself. They visited fabric stores and purchased various types of cotton fabric to use as prototypes while also spending time studying the fentanyl molecule itself.
After some initial tests, Joy came up with the idea to test curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric. The lab at the University of Akron wasn’t authorized to have narcotics in-house, so he used lidocaine as a fentanyl surrogate. Using curcumin brought about a color change, and while it was not as dramatic a reaction as they had hoped, it reassured Joy and Cole that they were headed in the right direction.
During subsequent tests, they noticed something interesting that needed their attention – the color change was happening on the testing surface, not on the wipe itself. This meant the pair needed to incorporate more chemistry to tie the curcumin to the wipe material. They ultimately landed on using an environmentally friendly, 100% cellulosic (plant-based) nonwoven along with starch as the chain.
Valuable feedback from officers in the field
As the project continued, the team at Visual Detection Systems developed ties with officers at the Ohio State Crime Lab. They continued their work there using pharmaceutical-grade narcotics and realized they had another hurdle to cross.
“As we were testing on pharmaceutical-grade drugs at the Ohio State Crime Lab with success, we said, ‘Wait a minute, that’s not the problem,’” said Cole. “The problem is we need to test street drugs.”
Thankfully, a former police officer Cole was acquainted with in Fayetteville, Arkansas, near one of Rockline Industries’ manufacturing centers, had contacts with the local law enforcement lab. The facility agreed to let the team use confiscated narcotics that were about to go to supervised destruction to see if the wipe would produce the same reaction.
By 2025, subsequent testing continued to prove to be very successful. Cole, Matt Fox, brand manager at Visual Detection Systems, and Jacob Becker, senior development specialist at Rockline Industries, traveled the country continuing to test street-level narcotics at law enforcement agencies. Each visit was a success, and one particular conversation with an officer produced yet another valuable insight.
After Cole demonstrated the wipe, an officer explained to him that a lot of presumptive field testing in their area takes place at night. This means officers are often using department-issued LED flashlights to see the scene, which produce a blue wavelength. With this new understanding, Cole and the team went back to the lab once again to rework the chemistry, ensuring the color change would be visible under LED flashlights.
Benefits of the finished product
Confident in their creation, Visual Detection Systems brought the First Defense presumptive wipe to market. The final product was created to be as large as the size of one’s hand, so while first responders should be wearing gloves and other PPE when performing narcotics testing, the wipe’s footprint helps add further protection.
First Defense wipes can detect nearly invisible amounts of fentanyl, down to 20 micrograms, in as little as 30 seconds. They will develop a positive reaction even if the narcotics are mixed with other substances like coffee or cocaine, and work with all forms of street-level fentanyl. The material of the wipe is durable and works on vehicle dashboards, pill presses, clothing and other common surfaces.
While the First Defense wipe is designed to keep first responders safe by rapidly detecting the presence of fentanyl, it’s important to remember the test is presumptive and the results may not be fully admissible during prosecution. Even so, using the wipe is an important step that can help officers move forward with search warrants or an arrest.
The threat of encountering fentanyl in the field only continues to grow, and First Defense presumptive wipes can help empower first responders to understand a scene before they touch, inhale or transport dangerous narcotics.
Learn more about the First Defense wipe.
