Hazardous Materials: Managing the Incident" (video training series), by Emergency Film Group, Edgartown, Maryland, 2005, 8 VHS/DVD, $1,395/$1,595, also available individually and for rental, 800-842-0999 or www.efilmgroup.com.
REVIEWED BY: Mayer Nudell, CSC, is an independent consultant on crisis management, contingency planning, and related issues.
First responders seeking training materials for dealing with hazardous materials (HazMat) incidents now have an additional option. The Emergency Film Group (EFI) has created an 8-part training program, available on VHS or DVD format, entitled "Hazardous Materials: Managing the Incident". The program is designed to complement a highly regarded textbook produced by Hildebrand & Noll Associates and follows an 8-Step Processİ created in the text. Each part of the program deals with a step in the process: site management control; identifying the problem; hazard and risk evaluation; protective clothing and equipment; information management and resource coordination; implementing response objectives; decontamination; and terminating the incident. The end result is an integrated and complete HazMat training program.
EFI worked with a number of professional response organizations and manufacturers in producing this program, including the Corpus Christi Fire Department; Dauphin County Emergency Management Agency; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Police Department; Dauphin County HazMat Team; Lancaster Township Fire Department; Manley-Regan Chemicals; Montgomery County Fire & Rescue; Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; Prince Georges County Fire Department; Refinery Terminal Fire Company; Washington County HazMat Team; York County Emergency Management Agency; and York County Hospital; and the videos were filmed on locations in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Texas.
While focused on the requirements of public safety responders, the program contains a vast amount of information on government regulations, standards, and other matters from which security professionals in the private sector can benefit. The entire program runs for nearly three hours and, although expensive to purchase, may be worth renting even without reference to the textbook on which it is based.
