First responders in Arlington are expected to receive high-tech identification cards under a new pilot program designed to control access to a disaster scene.

Arlington is the first county in the country to issue these cards, knows as First Responder Authentication Credentials. The need for the cards was identified after the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon, when the county — in charge of incident command — had trouble controlling access to sensitive areas of the disaster scene.

“During our 9/11 response, we learned that secure credentialing of first responders is essential to being able to efficiently provide critical emergency services,” Arlington emergency response chief Robert Griffin said in a statement. “As the home of the Pentagon and many vital federal and local facilities, Arlington places a high priority on quick and secure response — we are very pleased to pilot this program for the nation’s first responders.”

Information contained in a chip in the card can tell incident command who a first responder is and what their qualifications are, among other information. This information is accessed using a wireless handheld device.

dfrancis@dcexaminer.com