CBRN / HazMat Training Blog

Army hazmat training plays an important role in preparing key personnel for the safe transport of hazardous materials. 

As part of its national defense mission, the US military makes use of a wide range of hazardous substances. These can include petroleum products, chemicals, explosives and solvents - all of which can pose a physical risk if handled improperly.

In this blog post we explore the process by which substances are classified as hazardous and ways in which hands-on army hazmat training scenarios can enhance theoretical understanding of safe handling.

Argon is looking forward to attending the CBRNe Summit Europe in Lisbon, Portugal this March. We plan to exhibit a wide range of CBRN training systems to support training in contamination avoidance,  monitoring and control, reconnaissance, search, and survey and additionally present a conference paper outlining the latest developments enabling you to implement “Real Experience” CBRN training.

Also importantly, we’re going to demonstrate how versatile our devices are by running “real experience training”  scenarios on board a railway train.  

Correctly utilising nuclear training equipment can be a challenge, especially when navigating things like safety considerations, budget, and instrument calibration. 

Whether you’re looking to improve your team’s ability to assess alarms and their threat statuses or to effectively prevent the release of a radiological dispersal device (RDD), knowing how to use the equipment safely and correctly can make a significant difference in the ability to identify and prevent a radiological incident before it becomes a public hazard. 

In this article, we will take a look at some best practices to consider when using nuclear training equipment, including planning, details on equipment currently in use, and how to solve common issues that arise during training.

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"Nothing can compare with realistic training in the fire and rescue service."

- Ross Smallcombe, Firefighter

Emergency preparedness starts with building confidence and familiarity with key radiological terminology and instrumentation. This is especially the case when training for transportation emergencies.

While there’s a minimal chance of responders being exposed to harmful quantities of ionizing radiation during daily duties, there is still the very real risk of encountering radioactive material when attending the scene of a transportation accident.

This is why emergency personnel need access to key training and technical assistance to safely and effectively mitigate the effects of radiation incidents.

In this article, we’ll look at:

• How the Transportation Emergency Preparedness Program (TEPP) can teach responders how to react to radiation accidents
• The importance of real-experience training to support emergency preparedness
• A new training tool which can elevate responder radiation training

→ Related: Running a Safe, Cost-Effective, and Efficient Radiation Training Simulation

Successful radiation training scenarios rely on the extent to which the instructor is able to create a compelling, hands-on and truly life-like training experience. 

The term ‘major incident’ is a broad one and is widely ascribed to any event where there is a loss of life, a serious injury or substantial damage to property or the environment.