Weapons of Mass Destruction Awareness

Monday, September 10, 2012: 2:40 PM-3:40 PM
#3 (Egan Convention Center)

Level of Course: Entry

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and subsequent Anthrax attacks in October, 2001, brought the threat of and preparedness for weapons of mass destruction incidents to  first responders.  Planning and training have become mandatory requirements for private, public service, and government-military first responders who could be involved in a terrorism incident. 

Weapons of Mass Destruction Training has been clearly identified as being a mandatory requirement in the 2008 edition of the NFPA 472 Standard for Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents.  The Weapons of Mass Destruction Awareness course meets the intent of terrorism awareness training by fulfilling the following five student training objectives: 1. Presenting examples of the 5 main categories of Weapons of Mass Destruction (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive materials commonly referred to as CBRNE) and how they can be disseminated;  2. Discussing the major physical and health hazards of Weapons of Mass Destruction;  3. Discussing the major signs and symptoms of chemical and biological exposures to the human body (often referred to by the acronym SLUDGE where S stands for Salivation, L stands for Lanclination, U stands for Urination, D stands for Defecation and E stands for Emesis);  4. Recommending personal protective equipment for responders to Weapons of Mass Destruction, using the EPA's Level A-C chemical protective clothing designation system; and, 5. Providing three "Do's" and three "Don'ts" regarding the size-up for and response to Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Author:
Steve Williams, CHMM