US&R Hazardous Materials Program
The US&R Hazardous Materials Specialist Program includes all TEEX courses relevant to task force hazardous materials personnel responding to a natural disaster or terrorist incident. Unique challenges face the hazardous materials team on a task force during a natural disaster or terrorist incident. Personnel are required to perform tasks under harsh conditions, often with inadequate supplies, resources and staffing.
TEEX and Disaster City® provide training to prepare personnel to overcome those challenges. Each course provides the participant with valuable knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to successfully identify and establish protection procedures involving hazardous materials and at various types of incidents, including a structural collapse, natural disaster, or chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive (CBRNE) incident.
Each course is designed by module and includes terminal and enabling objectives for participants to accomplish. TEEX courses are designed around current revisions to the National Response Framework and National Incident Management Systems (NIMS). All TEEX courses are fully compliant with all NIMS principles and the Incident Command System (ICS).
TEEX courses are specifically designed to meet a jurisdiction’s mission to accomplish specific requirements on the Target Capabilities List (TCL) and the Universal Task List (UTL), as well as meeting requirements of the appropriate National Planning Scenarios and National Preparedness Goal priorities.
US&R Hazardous Materials Program Courses
WMD Considerations for US&R Hazardous Materials Specialists – This 8-hour (1 day) course is designed for Hazardous Materials Specialists that will be responding with a US&R task force to a CBRNE incident and providing identification and protection procedures for task force members working in a possible contaminated environment. This course can also have an 8-hour, full-day CBRNE scenario exercise in Disaster City® added to the curriculum.
WMD Enhanced US&R Operations – This 16-hour (2 day) course is designed to provide task force members training on standardized hazardous materials identification, protection, PPE donning, PPE doffing, and decontamination procedures. This course also standardizes how all other task force members will support the US&R Hazardous Materials Specialists.
NFPA 472 Hazardous Material Technician Training – This 36-hour (4 ½ day) course is designed to provide the responder with the knowledge to conduct in offensive hazardous materials mitigation. This course is managed by TEEX - Emergency Services Training Institute (ESTI).
Hazardous Materials – First Responder Awareness and Operations Training – This 16-hour (2 day) course is designed for responders that will support the Technician level personnel during a hazardous materials incident. This course is managed by TEEX - Emergency Services Training Institute (ESTI).
Hazardous Materials Emergency Refresher Training – This 8-hour (1 day) course is designed to provide refresher training for HazMat Technicians and Operations level personnel. This course is required to maintain their competencies as HazMat responders. This course is managed by TEEX - Emergency Services Training Institute (ESTI).
Chlorine Emergencies Training – This 16-hour (2 day) course is designed to provide HazMat responders with an understanding of the correct procedures for recognizing and responding to a hazardous substance release of chlorine (CL2). This course is geared towards emergency responders with hazmat, fire, and rescue backgrounds. This course is managed by TEEX - Emergency Services Training Institute (ESTI).
WMD/Terrorism Incident Defensive Operations for Emergency Responders (this course is offered at no cost to any eligible jurisdiction) – This 24-hour course is designed to provide emergency responders defensive operation training when responding to a WMD incident and the unique personal protective challenges that responders face during such an incident. This course is managed by TEEX – Emergency Services Training Institute (ESTI).
NFPA 472 Hazardous Materials Incident Command Training – This 16-hour (2 day) course is designed to provide command personnel an understanding of the command operations at hazardous materials incidents by organizing resources, developing strategies, and managing tactical operations and interagency coordination. This course is managed by TEEX - Emergency Services Training Institute (ESTI).
Courses can be conducted at your agency or jurisdiction or in Disaster City®, located in College Station, Texas. Disaster City® is a 52-acre urban search and rescue training facility and delivers the full array of skills and techniques needed by today’s US&R teams and emergency responders.
TEEX’s US&R training features instructors who have responded to some of the largest disasters on record, including the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, the space shuttle Columbia incident and Hurricane Katrina.
TEEX is the sponsoring agency for Texas Task Force 1, one of 28 national urban search and rescue teams under FEMA and is Texas’ only Type 1 statewide team under direction of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Texas Task Force 1 also includes one of the country’s most extensive water rescue programs.
