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The Concertainer,[1] known colloquially as the Hesco barrier[2]orHesco bastion,[3] with HESCO being the brand name of the manufacturer, is a modern gabion primarily used for flood control and military fortifications.[4] It is made of a collapsible wire mesh container and heavy-duty fabric liner and is used as a temporary to semi-permanent leveeorblast wall against small-arms fire and/or explosives. It has been used during the war on terrorinIraq and Afghanistan.
It was originally designed for use on beaches and marshes for erosion and flood control.[5] They were used in 2005 to reinforce levees around New Orleans in the weeks between Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita.[6] During the June 2008 Midwest floods, 8,200 metres (9,000 yd) of HESCO barrier wall were shipped to Iowa.[7] In late March 2009, 10,700 m (11,700 yd) of HESCO barrier were delivered to Fargo, North Dakota, to protect against floods. In late September 2016, 16 km (10 mi) of HESCO barriers were used in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the fall flood of 2016.[8]
The Concertainer was originally developed by Jimi Heselden, a British entrepreneur and ex-coal miner, who founded HESCO Bastion Ltd. in 1989 to manufacture his invention.[9] The brand name for the barrier is a portmanteau of the words "concertina" and "container".[1]
Assembling the HESCO unit entails unfolding it and filling it with sand, soil or gravel, usually using a front end loader. The placement of the barrier is generally very similar to the placement of a sandbag barrier or earth berm except that room must generally be allowed for the equipment used to fill the barrier.[10]
The HESCO barriers are varied in sizes and models. Most of the barriers can also be stacked, and they are shipped collapsed in compact sets.
Since the original concertainer, HESCO has developed specialized variants:
The name 'Concertainer', which is a registered trade mark, refers to the unique way that units fold flat concertina style. This ensures very efficient packaging, handling, and erection.
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