Cincinnati State helps develop training for HAZMAT SWAT teams
November 2, 2009
Representatives of the Center for HAZMAT Rescue & Safety at the Workforce Development Center at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College have been working with Butler County’s law enforcement community in recent months.
The goal: to develop techniques for training officers to combat a threat that is getting increasing attention.
The training program is designed to enable SWAT teams to operate in environments where officers might be exposed to dangerous chemicals or biological agents.
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On Friday, (Oct. 30) 20 members of the Butler County Sheriff’s Regional SWAT Team conducted an exercise at the former Buchanan Elementary School (now closed) in the city of Hamilton, simulating a scenario which postulated that armed terrorists were holding hostages and threatening to set off a chemical weapon. The exercise involved HAZMAT teams from the Hamilton and Middletown fire departments, the Butler County EMA, the West Chester Police Department and the Butler County Civilian Emergency Response Team (whose members acted as hostages).
The exercise was the culmination of a week-long, 40-hour HAZMAT Technician Workshop designed specifically for law enforcement SWAT teams by the faculty of the Center for HAZMAT, Rescue & Safety at the Workforce Development Center. The Workforce Development Center is an arm of Cincinnati State that, among other things, custom designs training programs for corporate, governmental and other clients.
Brian Canteel, manager of the Center for HAZMAT, Rescue and Safety at Cincinnati State, said that while there are ample protocols for how to train first responders for dealing with dangerous chemicals and biological agents, as well as for training SWAT teams, “we are one of only a handful in the country offering a joint training program.’’
In fact, he said, one of the College’s goals is to assist in developing a national standard for such training programs.
One of the keys to enabling law enforcement officials to respond to places where hazardous materials are likely to be present, Canteel said, is the availability of suitable gear and training specifically designed for SWAT teams.
Traditional HAZMAT suits are so bulky and cumbersome, he explained, that a police officer could not effectively operate a weapon, much less move quickly to get out of harm’s way.
In the Butler County classes – which have previously been conducted with officers from the city of Hamilton and the West Chester Police Department – participants have been using a new generation of HAZMAT gear. It allows users to wear body armor, and is designed to allow faster movement as well as the use of weapons.
Canteel said he plans to consolidate what Cincinnati State and Butler County law enforcement, HAZMAT and EMA officials have learned and apply for a U.S. Department of Justice grant that will enable the further development of this training program and expand training to a wider geographical range. Cincinnati State is working with the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, Butler County EMA Director Jeff Galloway, and Diane Redden of Lion Apparel (makers of the tactical hazmat suits) in finalizing the course standards and operational doctrine for the “HAZ-SWAT’’ training program.
“We hope to develop a certified national standard for this training and make it widely available, so that our first-responders can safely handle any threat that might come their way,’’ Canteel said.
