Monitoring the air for oxygen levels, toxins and combustibles is an essential skill in ensuring the health and safety of first response personnel when operating in confined space environments.
Often the risk posed by these types of spaces will be immediately obvious - such as when conducting a rescue within a storage tank, silo, sewer or enclosed drainage system.
Occasionally though, the risk may be less apparent - for example if working in an open-topped chamber or a poorly ventilated room.
Chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) incidents, by their very nature, are deliberate and malicious acts designed to invoke harm or fear through an intentional attack or threat.
While such events remain thankfully rare, when they do occur there is the vital need for a robust and decisive response.
The UK’s leading event for emergency services personnel, the Emergency Services Show, will take place at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC) on the 7th and 8th of September 2021.
This year’s live event will include a specially curated seminar programme together with an exhibition of the latest technologies, services and training systems available to the emergency services sector.
Industrial-based incidents that occur within confined space environments can pose a substantial safety hazard due to the heightened chance of personnel being exposed to toxic gases.
As several recent workplace accidents have highlighted, the risk applies both to the victims and to those who are tasked with the role of emergency response.
One of the biggest obstacles to delivering effective hands-on radiation training is finding ways to safely and realistically replicate the conditions of a real-life radiological emergency.
Whether your students are training in the logistics of radiological reconnaissance, learning about the effects of shielding or inverse square law or practicing the principles of safe demarcation, it is hugely important that the realities of the live radiological environment are not underplayed or misconstrued.
Chemical incidents that occur caused by leaks, explosions or fires in industrial settings can have significant consequences for both human health and the environment.
Building and maintaining an understanding of the key principles governing the regulation of chemicals is a core skill for businesses and personnel involved in the supply, distribution or use of hazardous chemicals, as well as for those working within the context of local authorities and emergency planning.
Representatives from Danish military defense, security, aerospace and emergency response sectors will be converging in Ballerup, Denmark, on August 26th 2021 for the Ministry of Defence Material and Procurement Agency ‘FMI Industry Day’.
With a reputation as the country’s largest exhibition of security and defense equipment, FMI Industry Day will provide the opportunity for attendees to explore new developments in the fields of CBRN technology and emergency preparedness available from Argon.
Competency in chemical hazard monitoring and detection is a fundamental requirement for first response personnel operating within the areas of civil defense, environmental protection and the military.
Providing trainees with the opportunity to experience realistic hands-on training is vital, but it is a goal that can often be difficult to achieve in the face of strict regulatory controls and safety considerations.
The success of any radiation training scenario relies on the extent to which the instructor is able to create a compelling, hands-on and truly life-like training experience.
But finding ways to provide realistic opportunities for students to test their understanding of their detector equipment and how it responds to actual radiological threats can often be challenging.
A common issue for many instructors is the inherently limiting nature of many forms of simpler "make-believe" training approaches.
In order to ensure best radiological preparedness, it is important that nuclear personnel are able to train against highly realistic scenarios in relevant locations and, ideally, while using their own operational equipment.
One of the most common obstacles in delivering hands-on radiological instruction however, is finding a way to balance the desire for realism with the essential need for safety.