For many years now, multi-gas meters have served as an invaluable resource to protect the environment and aid in the safe operations of technical rescue teams, firefighters and HazMat crews.
While there are a wide variety of gas detector products currently available, they have all been designed with one common goal in mind - to provide the user with a visual or audio indication as to the hazardous nature of the environment they are about to enter.
Any incident that involves the use of a chemical, biological or radiological or nuclear (CBRN) material can pose a substantial threat to not just human safety but also to the viability of a country's commercial and governmental infrastructure.
While the historical record of CBRN emergencies involving radiological or nuclear materials has so far been thankfully limited, the risk of a "low probability, high impact" event is nonetheless very real and something that must be prepared for.
Staying up to date with the science that supports radiological defence is a key priority for CBRN practitioners, whether they are operating within a military, civilian, governmental or research capacity.
While CBRN specialists will naturally be highly skilled in the subject areas that are directly relevant to their own area of focus, there can also be much benefit to be gained from expanding their knowledge base and in exploring new technologies.
The use of accurate spectroscopy equipment is an essential factor in enabling emergency response teams, border control and law enforcement to quickly and efficiently screen, detect (and where possible identify) an unknown source of radiation.
Radiation-emitting materials can be broadly divided into several categories - encompassing what are known as naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM); Special Nuclear Materials (SNM); medical radioactive isotopes (radiological materials used for the purposes of medical diagnosis or treatment) and industrial radioisotopes (used in a wide variety of industry applications from construction to mining).
The detection, location and prevention of illicit transportation of radiological materials is a vital factor in safeguarding communities and protecting critical infrastructure.
For law enforcement and first responders, the use of mobile radiation detectors and radiation detection portals are essential tools for the fast and accurate screening of potential radiation sources.
Maintaining operational readiness in the detection and identification of radiological and nuclear threats is a vital aspect of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) training.
Be it for the purposes of CBRN military defense, emergency management, government or nuclear energy, the schooling is intensive, covering an array of practical, technical and scientific skills including reconnaissance detection, survey training, hazard plotting and the fundamentals of chemistry.
A commitment to ongoing education and training is a vital factor in ensuring that military personnel are prepared and equipped for the full spectrum of combat operations that they may encounter.
The U.S. Marine Corps' individual training standards focus on marines' competence in recognising CBRN-related incidents and in taking the required protective measures to achieve their mission objectives.
As the world continues to grapple with the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, discussion has inevitably turned to the possible threat to global military capability, both in the short-term and further down the line.
In the first few weeks of the pandemic, we saw the scaling back, the postponement and the temporary suspension of a number of military operations - including the cancellation of joint exercises, a reduction in provision of basic training and the repositioning of troops into a larger number of smaller bases.
Since 2004, the US National Guard's Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNe) Enhanced Response Force Package (CERFP) has proven itself to be an indispensable tool in helping to protect people, property and infrastructure from the effects of hazardous materials incidents.
A crucial strength of the CERFP initiative has been the way in which it has enabled the country's existing national guard units to seamlessly integrate with civilian emergency response teams at both federal and local level.
Simulator detector technology offers substantial and tangible benefits across all stages and levels of CBRNe training - whether it is being used to train new operators, to provide more experienced personnel with the opportunity to refresh their skills, or as a way to trial or familiarise with new equipment.
The rise in the popularity of simulation training over the past several decades has been aided in no small part by significant advancements in the technology and processing power that underpins it.