Southern Emergency Response Training and Logistics Center

First responders at the operation level refer to personnel who respond to releases or potential releases of hazardous substances as part of the preliminary response. The purpose is to protect nearby persons, property, or the environment from the effects of the releases. Their responsibility is to carry out a defensive response by containing the release from a safe distance, keeping it from spreading, and preventing exposures.

The trainees will be trained to assess on-scene situations, identify potential secondary sources of hazards, determine the priority of actions, draw up defensive action plans under the premise of safety and sufficient resources, choose suitable PPE prior to the implementation of the action plans, define and carry out emergency decontamination procedures, and assess the safety and effectiveness of the action plans.

This training introduces relevant regulations and standards, properties of chemicals, hazard identification and risk assessment, emergency response procedures, PPE, zoning of contaminated areas, and decontamination. The trainees will learn how to choose suitable PPE, zone the site of an incident into different areas, and carry out decontamination. Trainees must pass the awareness-level training prior to taking the operation-level training.