FREDERICA, Del. -- A Delaware company is playing an important role in the war on terror. It makes the gas masks that U.S. soldiers carry on the front lines.

Now, they are making a civilian version. According to NBC 10 reporter Terry Ruggles, the latest thing in anti-terrorist equipment aimed at civilians looks like a big baggie with a fan.

It is called the SCape Hood and it is built by ILC Dover, the same company that makes the spacesuits that the astronauts wear and the gas masks worn by the military.

Leroy Garey Jr. of ILC Dover said that after 9/11 people started calling them for gas masks.

"We knew the standard military issue shouldn't be sold to civilians," Garey said.

The military mask is highly effective, but takes a lot of practice to use it efficiently. So ILC developed the SCape Hood, which is more user friendly for the general public.

"You wouldn't have to worry about facial hair, glasses, hair styles or anything like that," Garey told NBC 10.

The new mask comes in a container about the size of a box of cereal and as soon as you pull it from the container, the filter starts working.

"It filters out chemical agents such as sarin, like we saw in Tokyo, mustard gas or Vx gas," Garey said.

Ruggles tried on the mask and said that he had a wide range of view. But the people who make this mask say the good part is who sees you.

"In a typical mask, people like children don't recognize the people leading them from an event. In one of our hoods you can see it's a teacher or parent leading you to safety.

There's even a SCape Hood big enough to protect a small pet carrier. The SCape Hoods can only be used once and sell for $239.

For more information about how to get a SCape Hood, visit ILC Dover's Web site at www.ilcdover.com.