| Author |
Message |
Chris Piper
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 07, 2003 - 12:38 am: | |
Is there any current training for NGOs relating to the use of Weapons of Mass Destruction (ie nuclear, chemical or biological). I realise this is a cheery subject for the New Year, but what with the posibility of an impending war in the Gulf (plus ongoing tension in Kashmir etc), NGOs may suddenly find themselves needing to support people affected by a WMD scenario.
Chris Piper, TorqAid Director
PO Box 13, Torquay 3228. Australia.
Tel: +61 3 52612955, 041 2497317 (mob)
Fax: + 61 3 52616639
Email cpiper@deakin.edu.au |
Jane Barry
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 07, 2003 - 12:42 am: | |
I have only seen one relevant WMD piece, written by Charles Kelley for the Humanitarian Times in November 2002 -- Humanitarian Response to the Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction. This is a short article that raises some key points and concerns -- I think it is well done. At the end of the article is also a useful list of other WMD references. The article is attached [WMD.pdf 30kb]
I have not heard of any WMD training for NGOs, and I, too, am concerned that we don't have the experience necessary to assist populations affected by WMD.
It may be worth checking with the interagency groups such as Interaction, ICVA or VOICE to find out if anyone is planning this type of training, as well as Alert Net and Relief Web.
Best,
Jane Barry |
charlotte warren
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 08, 2003 - 05:31 am: | |
It might be worth contacting Medact an NGO of health professionals challenging barriers to health who highlight health impacts of violent conflict, poverty and nuclear degradation. They are currently setting up a Global Health Curriculum which may or may not include working with people affected by WMD.Their website is www.medact.org
Regards
Charlotte Warren |
Chris Piper
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 08, 2003 - 12:53 pm: | |
Reading Charles Kelley's paper is sobering and instructive. This topic cud become an issue in the following scenario
- A US-led attack is launched against Iraq in Feb/March
- As a final resort Saddam attempts to bring in the other Arab states on his side by firing his last few Scud missiles at Israel. He hopes to invite a massive Israeli retaliation which will create uncontrolled Arab fury..
- All but one of these missiles is shot down. The single one which gets thru' falls on a Tel Aviv suburb - if this is chemically tipped it cud kill up to a couple of hundred people
- There is huge pressure on the Israeli government to relatiate using WMD. A single nuclear launch is made by Israeli or US forces against the nearest military base where the Scud was launched from.
- This tactical nuclear burst kills or wounds up to 20,000 people - mostly civilians..
It is this scenario which NGOs may need to work out their contingency plans if they are gearing themselves up to support victims of this war - primarily Iraqis..
Bit depressing, eh - but this is the name of this new game ..
greetings from Down Under
Chris Piper (PS - what is my password ?) |
Barney Mayhew
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 08, 2003 - 08:42 pm: | |
I notice that the Royal United Services Institute in London (a sort of independent professional association and think tank for the UK armed forces and academics) is holding a conference relevant to this topic - details below.
Best wishes,
Barney Mayhew (PS Chris - your password is a blank space; this function is not yet in use)
Weapons of Catastrophic Effect: Confronting the Threat
12/13/14 February, 2003
at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies
Whitehall, London UK
CHEMICAL SUICIDE ATTACKERS
BIOLOGICAL DIGITAL WARFARE
RADIOLOGICAL
A practical perspective of CBRN threats, digital warfare and suicide attackers to encourage the development of practical solutions when considering how the local, national and international community might respond to weapons of catastrophic effect.
Speakers Include:
Dr. Peter Blain - Chemical Incident Service
Bruno Brunskill - Anite Modernising Government Division
Neil Fisher - QinetiQ
Dr. Asha George - Nuclear Threat Initiative
Dr. Mark Harrison - Warwick University
Dr. Roger Howsley - BNFL
DK Matai - mi2g
Dr. Dilys Morgan - Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre
Dame Pauline Neville-Jones - QinetiQ
Dr. Charles Penn - Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research
Dr. Malise Ruthven - Author "A Fury for God"
Ms. Susan Scholefield - Head of Civil Contingencies Secretariat
John Smith- Head of Prudential Group Security
Benjamin Tuck - L3 Communications
Ted Vary - Emergency Planning Society
Assistant Commissioner David Veness - Specialist Operations Metropolitan Police
Topics Include:
Digital Attacks
Digital Resilience
Biological Threats
Chemical Threats
Responder Perspective
Nuclear Security
Radiological Decontamination / Waste Management
Suicide Attackers
Incident Preparedness
Information Management
Business Continuity
Links between Crisis and Consequence Management
Please contact Jane Grassie at janeg@rusi.org for rates and information or consult the Royal United Services Institute web-site at www.rusi.org
Valerie I. Seefried
Programme Co-ordinator
Homeland Security and Resilience Programme
Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies
Whitehall London SW1A 2ET UK
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7747 2631
E-mail: valeries@rusi.org
|
Rex Brynen
| | Posted on Saturday, January 11, 2003 - 05:40 pm: | |
I would have thought that it would be relatively easy to convince a national Ministry of Defence, or somewhere like the Pearson Peacekeeping Training Centre, to offer a quickie course on this for NGOs. |
Hilary Bower
| | Posted on Friday, January 10, 2003 - 05:07 pm: | |
I attach a copy of the paper LSHTM and Merlin have just released exploring options and actions needed to prepare for humanitarian intervention after use of a weapon of mass destruction. [WMD and Humanitarian Aid.pdf 371kb]
Please feel free to circulate where-ever useful. And here's hoping it won't be necessary, now or in the future...
best regards
Hilary Bower |
Egbert Sondorp
| | Posted on Saturday, January 11, 2003 - 12:23 pm: | |
We are not aware of any specific training for aid workers. It is one of the key issues in the LSHTM/Merlin report that training needs to be addressed, but also to show the inherent constraints to being trained to be active where it is most needed.
Egbert Sondorp
Senior Lecturer Public Health & Humanitarian Aid
Health Policy Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, London, UK |
Heather Hughes
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 15, 2003 - 11:56 am: | |
The Center of Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance and OFDA, with the support of InterAction, are running a senior level seminar/game – “Traditional Responders: Non-Traditional Roles” – for American agencies in February. RedR are considering organising something similar for HQ operations staff in the UK.
Merlin is hosting a meeting next week, on their recent paper on this topic (as posted above).
Regards
Heather Hughes
Security Adviser
Oxfam GB
|
Paul Rees, Director, Centurion Risk Assessment Services Ltd
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 15, 2003 - 04:15 pm: | |
My company, Centurion Risk Assessment Services Ltd, provides both Hostile Environments & Emergency First Aid Training for aid workers and media teams working in volatile regions, and Biological and Chemical Warfare Awareness Training. We are contactable through our website: http://www.centurion-riskservices.co.uk or by email at main@centurion-riskservices.co.uk |
Joseph Charles Fifield
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 15, 2003 - 05:42 pm: | |
Dear Chris
We are a company based in the North West of England who have been involved in the training of the UK emergency services in the preparation, response and recovery issues involving Chemical, Biological, Radioactive or Nuclear (CBRN) terrorism during the build up to the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games. However, due to the high terrorist threat in the UK we are continuing to work closely with the UK emergency service in several aspects of bio-terrorism awareness and training. Part of which has included a draft manual for first responders on general Chem / Bio awareness issues.
If you look at our web site (www.mascts.com) you will see that we also offer specialist medical, safety and security training to the commercial and humanitarian aid sectors. For the last 2 years we have provided instructors to teach on the World Vision security management course in the United States. Our training also includes awareness on the threat of terrorism against NGOs and preventive security measures surrounding that: booby-trap and bomb recognition, management of ‘white powder’ incidents, target-hardening procedures etc
At the request of World Vision last year we also developed a Chem / Bio awareness course for NGOs focusing on the developing situation in Iraq as well as the more general threat from a terrorist use of WMD anywhere in the world and we have recently returned from Thailand were we conducted a one and a half day bio-terrorism workshop for the WV rapid response team.
If you would like to know any more about our Chem / Bio awareness training please feel free to contact me and I will send you some details of our training courses.
Best wishes
Joseph Fifield
Managing Director
MASC Training Services Ltd
Tel: 0870 161 4145
Fax: 0870 161 4146
Mob: 07768 943 953
Email: josephfifield@mascts.co.uk
Web: www.mascts.com
|
S Purdin
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 15, 2003 - 09:51 pm: | |
Websites with information:
USAMRIID (US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases)
"Blue Book" ("Medical Management of Biological Casualties"):
http://www.usamriid.army.mil/education/bluebook.html
CDC Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response:
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/
List of pathogens and data sheets:
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/Agent/Agentlist.asp
"Emerging Infectious Diseases" (journal): Special Issue on Bioterrorism:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol5no4/contents.htm
CDC Strategic Plan for Bio & Chem Terrorism (MMWR April 21, 2000):
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr4904a1.htm
CDC Centers for Public Health Preparedness:
http://www.phppo.cdc.gov/owpp/default.asp?pg=centersforPHP
Center for Public Health Preparedness, Mailman School of Public Health:
http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/sph/CPHP/index.html
ProMED-mail (International network for reports of disease outbreaks):
http://www.promedmail.org/
Johns Hopkins, Center for Civilian Biodefense:
http://www.hopkins-biodefense.org/
St. Louis University:
http://www.bioterrorism.slu.edu/
American Red Cross:
http://www.redcross.org/index.html |
Mia Marina
| | Posted on Thursday, January 16, 2003 - 08:06 am: | |
I would like to answer Chris Piper question on WMD training.
I just joined that kind of training in December 2002, facilitated by MASC.
You could contact Joseph Fifield through e-mail josephfifield@mascts.co.uk
or open the website www.mascts.com for further details.
I admit that this training is really good, open your mind, broaden your
view on the issues and on what NGOs needed to do in the situation.
OK, that's all and good luck.
Best regards,
Mia Marina
WVAPDMO - Manila |
michelle jennings
| | Posted on Thursday, January 16, 2003 - 09:12 am: | |
USAID/OFDA has had a chem, bio, rad, nuclear in humanitarian emergencies training program that consists of 3 one-day course and a more in depth 'tier II' hands on training since 1999. The target audience has always been DART members and interagency partners to include NGOs. We recently offered the 'Tier II' class that also addresses and practices donning and doffing of personal protective equipment/safety and security in cbrn environments, risk analysis, response aspects, and preparedness to partner NGOs in the area of Washington DC. USAID/OFDA will again offer these courses in February to DART members with a few slots left open for NGO partners.
OFDA and InterAction also established a CBRNE working group in 2001 that has met about five times to address these issues and identify the road ahead. As previously mentioned OFDA, COE, InterAction, and CDC/ATSDR will host a conference Feb. 3-5 addressing these topics in a workshop formate over three days. Proceedings may be posted for everyone's benefit.
First responder training of this kind is offered by many different USG agencies and anumber of universities (USAMRIID, Johns Hopkins, DOJ, UNiv. Texas, DOD, FEMA, etc..)
Red Cross offers training at their Clara Barton WMD Center located in Arkansas.
Other internationally focused training in this area is the newly developed WHO training that is being piloted currently. PAHO offers a chem training in Brazil every Oct.
USAID/OFDA training is the only one I know about that is annual and fixed which focuses on the overseas context in humanitarian response although I have heard the RI will developed a wenb-based or CD-rom for this type of field training in the future.
Hope this answers some questions |
Chris Piper
| | Posted on Thursday, January 16, 2003 - 02:48 pm: | |
Greetings from Down Under
It has been very interesting to get up to speed with some of the key background papers (eg Merlin/LSHTM report/Charles Kelley Paper), and training courses (as run by MASC, USAID/OFDA, CoE, MASC, Centurian, Merlin, RUSI etc) etc. It wud be good to see these compiled into a simple document - as per the AATG (Australian Aid Training Guide).
I think its important to realise that ideally WMD training also ought to dovetail into existing public health training - eg the Burnet Centres (Melbourne Australia) forthcoming Public Health in Complex Disaster Settings course (18-26 Feb), where the emergency phase priorities tend to be Initial assessment; Measles Immunisation; Water & Sanitation; Food & Nutrition; Shelter & Site Planning; Health Care in Emergency Phase; control of cumnmunicable diseases & epidemics; Public Health Surveillance; Human Resources & Training; Coordination etc. Burnet Course details on www.burnet.internationalhealth.edu.au
Cheers
Chris |
Alistair Cole. Managing Director. The Lifesigns Group
| | Posted on Thursday, January 16, 2003 - 03:18 pm: | |
The Lifesigns Group are a UK based training company, who are involved in the training of journalists and NGO's who may encounter problems with Chemical, Biological and Radiological (CBR) terrorism/warfare. If you look at our website you will see that we also offer specialist medical and Hostile Environment training courses to both the commercial and humanitarian sectors.
Out instructors are experts in their fields and can tailor courses specifically towards the clients needs.
We also stock a variety of state of the art civilian CBR equipment. Unlike other companies we do not stock army surplus equipment. Please call our office for further details. +44 (0)1483 459139. www.adventurelifesigns.co.uk |
Mark Adams
| | Posted on Thursday, January 16, 2003 - 08:19 pm: | |
I don't have much information to provide, but a couple of years ago there was a scare in southern Sudan that chemical weapons had been used and some aid staff were sent to a UK military hospital.
I remember we got a good manual off the CDC website which was some help. It might be a good place to start when looking for further information.
Best wishes
Mark Adams
GOAL Uganda |
Sharon McHale
| | Posted on Friday, January 17, 2003 - 09:05 am: | |
Aloha Chris! This is a very good question that I have only a limited answer for. I just submitted my name and e-mail to join the discussion but in the meantime, I'll provide a quick answer below.
1- You may already know that USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) offers CBRN training (tier 1 & 2) which is open to NGOs.
2 - The Center of Excellence (COE) whom I work for is co-sponsoring a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) awareness seminar/game geared specifically for NGOs from 3-5 February 2003 in Hawaii. While the registration is already closed, you can view information on the event under the conferences section at www.apan-info.net. One of the "products" so to speak of the game in Hawaii is to identify training requirements, etc, and map out the road ahead on how to provide the most useful tools to NGOs.
Hope this helps. Sharon
Sharon McHale, Training Advisor
Center of Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance
http://coe-dmha.org
|
Ruth Gidley
| | Posted on Friday, January 17, 2003 - 11:14 am: | |
I have published an article on the Merlin/LSHTM report on Reuters AlertNet:
NGOs confront fear of biochemical attack
http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/577059 |
Chris Piper
| | Posted on Monday, January 20, 2003 - 02:30 pm: | |
I have briefly summarised the key WMD info into a fairly easy user-friendly format (WMDTrainingDetails.doc 50kb). Please circulate as required. Any comments, corrections or additions may be posted to this forum. |
Lucy Hodgson
| | Posted on Monday, January 20, 2003 - 06:31 pm: | |
RedR are currently in the process of gathering information on this topic, and consulting with agencies to best ascertain how we can assist NGO's in assessing and mitigating the (potential) risk from WMD's/NBC.
We will be sending a representative to the Merlin Meeting, and to the OFDA/CoE Seminar/exercise in Hawaii as part of this process. We will be in particular looking at lessons learnt from the Hawaii seminar, and how these can be best brought to UK & European NGO's.
We hope to incoporate the threat of WMD/NBC into appropriate workshops and courses run by RedR both in the Uk and overseas. Once the research process is complete and we have feedback from the Hawaii Seminar, we may also be looking to organise a seminar for UK NGO's to pool knowledge, air concerns and discuss further on this topic.
To aid us in this process, we would be interested to hear thoughts on the appropriateness of a UK based seminar/exercise. We are also more than willing to hear from agencies and individuals as to their specific concerns and training needs - this will assist us in meeting them in the most appropriate fashion. Please feel free to email/call me, contact details below.
Lucy Hodgson
Training Co-ordinator
Lucy@redr.org
Phone: 020 7233 3116
Fax: 020 7233 3590
Web: www.redr.org
RedR
1 Great George Street
London SW1P 3AA
RedR - Engineers for Disaster Relief - relieves suffering caused by disasters by selecting, training and providing competent and committed personnel to humanitarian programmes world wide
---oOo---
|
David Siegrist
| | Posted on Thursday, January 23, 2003 - 11:49 pm: | |
There is a plethora of training available for US military and municipal first responders. Some of the materials could easily be adapted for NGOs. In addition, the US DoD likes to train with NGO's to some extent; they do so regularly at Fort Polk, LA for instance on contingency operations that would likely involve NGOs.
The Technical Support Working Group (an interagency committee led by State and DoD)established a digital library that listed training courses, I believe. In addition, MIPT, Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism in OK City, also has a links list on their website, if memory serves. The National Fire Academy of FEMA runs various civilian training courses and has web-based materials.
See also IAEM Certified Emergency Manager Program www.iaem.com/certification.html |
Larry L. Harris
| | Posted on Friday, January 24, 2003 - 10:20 pm: | |
SAIC offers an extremely wide diversity of WMD related training, using various means of information exchange.
I'm attaching a quick overview of work on both Department of Defense and Department of Justice courses [capabilities summary 6-02 27kb]. We can certainly discuss development of any topics that maybe of interest to NGOs. Please use any of the numbers listed below to call me.
Sincerely,
Larry L. Harris
Vice President/Deputy Division Manager
Emergency Medical Training & Preparedness Division
Science Applications International Corporation
Office: 410-538-8110
Cell: 443-691-7360
Pager: 1-800-775-8013 |
Tim Merkel
| | Posted on Thursday, January 30, 2003 - 02:09 pm: | |
I'm Tim Merkel, an instructional designer with SAIC's Emergency Medical Training and Preparedness Division in Joppa, Maryland (USA). Mr. Larry Harris requested I contact you regarding your interest in Weapons of Mass Destruction terrorism training for international aid workers.
To best answer your inquiry about availability of training: SAIC offers a broad range of instruction about the effects of chemical, biological, radiological and conventional (explosive/incendiary) terrorist incidents. Courses can range from short awareness programs (recognition of events and appropriate self-protective action) to medical care for victims of WMD terrorism, to Incident Command planning and application in field or hospital environments. We currently have a number of computer-based courses developed which might meet your requirements, including effects and management of exposure to nerve agents (such as the Tokyo subway attack of 1995), blister agents (such as mustard), and common industrial chemicals, such as phosgene and chlorine. Also available in computer-based format are modules of instruction on the characteristics, effects, and management of anthrax and smallpox attacks. In addition, we possess an extensive inventory of courses about radiological and nuclear terrorism management, effects of and response to major explosive attacks, and triage and personal protective equipment appropriate for WMD response. Conversion of this additional content to computer-based format could easily be undertaken.
SAIC has provided Internet-based WMD training to U.S. Government clients for nearly three years at our www.train4life.com website. At the moment, this material is in transition from hosting by an outside contractor to a new site hosted directly by SAIC, and courses are currently not accessible there. We could, however, provide a sample CD-ROM of our computer-based training capabilities.
Please call or e-mail regarding your primary areas of interest, and we can discuss instructional material content would be most beneficial to Aid Workers.
Cordially,
Tim Merkel
SAIC
(410) 538-2962 |
Stephen Tomlin
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 11, 2003 - 01:15 am: | |
-Forthcoming multi-media CD-ROM-based Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) Responder training program
In response to the growing concern over the potential impact of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high yield explosives (CBRNE) on humanitarian response operations, International Medical Corps (IMC) and the UCLA Center for International Emergency Medicine (CIEM), with support from USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), are currently rushing to develop an interactive multi-media CD-ROM-based Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) Responder training program that targets the project management and field-staff of international NGOs anticipating humanitarian interventions in Iraq.
The broad educational objectives of the MCI training CD are:
1. To ensure that field-staff are familiar with the acute consequences of a CBRNE incident;
2. To protect the health of field-staff in the event of a CBRNE incident;
3. To review field triage principles in the context of a CBRNE incident;
4. To review the initial management of CBRNE victims;
5. To delineate the ways in which a CBRNE incident impacts traditional NGO operational priorities;
6. To ensure adequate understanding of the role humanitarian agencies can play in their response to a CBRNE attack, along with those of other agencies.
7. To stimulate contingency planning and coordination of interagency responses to a CBRNE incident;
Rationale: International humanitarian agencies are not widely oriented to the consequences of CBRNE threats to either their staffs or to the populations they seek to serve. The international humanitarian community has not invested in nor disseminated any information to begin to inform its field-staffs’ actions in or around a “hot zone” and their field-staffs are unaware of the needs of populations fleeing from a contaminated area. Humanitarian agencies are unaware of critical issues relating to decontamination, hazard control, quarantine etc. and there are few, if any, NGO medical staff currently deployed who could readily recognize and diagnose the clinical consequences of exposure to a weaponized agent such as anthrax, plague or brucellosis, let alone who appreciate the urgent need for a heightened system of epidemiological surveillance. Humanitarian agencies are unable to provide any protection to their front line staff. Moreover, they are unable to either plan or provide for the support of exposed displaced populations in a rational manner.
Following the anthrax-tainted letters at the heart of a post-September 11 outbreak of biological terrorism, efforts towards developing resources for domestic CBRNE incident preparedness and response have received significant attention here in the U.S. However, all resulting guidelines, educational materials and protocols take an infrastructure-rich context for granted with a sophisticated “911” emergency management system as their fulcrum. No materials examine an incident within the context of a pre-existing humanitarian crisis or in an under-developed environment and, to date, there is nothing that nearly approximates the CDC’s Famine-Affected, Refugee, and Displaced Populations: Recommendations for Public Health Issues as a common framework to inform the planning and response of international humanitarian agencies.
The IMC/CIEM Interactive Multimedia Training CD will build upon an existing interactive multimedia medical education instrument already developed by CIEM at UCLA that focused on multiple aspects of bio-terrorism. An IMC/CIEM team is currently rushing to develop a training CD that will target NGO field-staff in a field setting who are faced with a large internally displaced population resulting from a CBRNE incident. The program format provides built-in flexibility – it can be used by a generalist with no prior knowledge of such issues as well as by medical professionals who will be able to access more detailed information as needed using the multimedia tool – the only prerequisite is a laptop computer with a CD drive.
CIEM instructors, working with a videographer, are currently interviewing physicians and public health specialists to gather video footage for the narrative portion of the training course. Medical interpretation and training inputs are also being solicited from a cadre of highly trained staff at the UCLA School of Medicine, as well as from leading U.S. public health and disaster relief specialists.
Multimedia medical education is efficient, portable, reality-based, cost-effective and original. Large volumes of medical textbooks, radiographic images, and patient-care simulators can be compiled into a single, lightweight, transportable CD-ROM. Clinical users can have immediate access to real patient footage, simulating the proven effectiveness of bedside teaching.
CD Distribution: The training CD will be made available free of charge upon request to IMC -- mid-March is the earliest estimate we currently have for completion. Multiple copies will be provided to NGO networks and membership organizations in both the US and in Europe. Multiple copies of the CD will also be provided to emerging NGO coordinating bodies and Humanitarian Information Centers in the region. Duplication of the CD for widespread dissemination in the region will be encouraged.
Send requests to cd@imcworldwide.org
Comments & contributions re: content will be gratefully received by Dr. Eric Savitsky of UCLA's CIEM at <esavitsk@ucla.edu>.
-Stephen Tomlin
International Medical Corps,
Los Angeles |
Chris Piper
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 12, 2003 - 12:37 am: | |
It's great to see the work being done by various training providers - viz the recent COE-DMHA training workshop in Hawaii, and the USAID-supported MCI/UCLA CD Rom-based Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) responser Training Program - which I understand will be made available to interested NGOs (and other parties - eg UN agencies ?).
I only have one major concern - in that the focus needs also to be on supporting people hit by a nuclear device - most likely fired by the coalition forces in response to a biological/chemical attack against US/UK/Aus forces, and or at Israel/Kuwait. The scale of casualties from this nuclear response would be on a much higher scale... sorry this is all so depressing......
Cheers
Chris Piper |
Chris Piper
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 12, 2003 - 10:14 pm: | |
For a scary scenario of what could happen in a Gulf War Mk II all going horribly wrong look at www.idleworm.com/nws/2002/11/iraq2.shtml
Chris Piper |
Chris Piper
Guest
| | Posted on Monday, February 24, 2003 - 10:07 pm: | |
I taught 40 odd students at the Burnet Centre (Melbourne) today on their Public Health in Complex Disaster Settingss - two topics, namely (1) The relief-Development continuum and (2) WMD/CBRN training for NGOS.
With regards the latter I enclose a summary from my notes (this includes some useful info/contacts etc).
cheers
Chris
 Training for Dealing With Weapons of Mass Destruction (Iraq Situation)
WMD_CBRNtng.doc (38.9 k) |
Chris Piper, TorqAid Director
PO Box 13, Torquay 3228. Australia.
Tel: 041 2497317 (mob), 03 52613358 (home)
Fax: 03 52616639
Email cpiper@deakin.edu.au |
Chris Piper
Guest
| | Posted on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 11:32 pm: | |
This is a very useful WHO Summary on Public Information on Biological & Chemical Threats.
WHO on CBRN
|
Chris Piper
Guest
| | Posted on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 11:47 pm: | |
The Center of Excellence (COE) Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) awareness seminar/game for NGOs produced the number of important and useful documents, which are attached below:
For more information about the event see:
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Feb/09/op/op16a.html
coe-presentations.zip (217kb) includes:
- Partners Protection & Expertise.ppt
- Planning & Preparation.ppt
- Security & Protection.ppt
Training (msword 26kb)
Liability (msword 28kb)
|
Lucy Hodgson
Member
Username: Lucy_h
Post Number: 1
Registered: 02-2003
| | Posted on Friday, February 28, 2003 - 01:10 pm: | |
As a result of the research & consultations on CBRN & its impact on the humanitarian community, that we have been carrying out in recent months, RedR has now established a three-fold approach on how we will be taking this forward
1. Incorporation of the CBRN issue into RedR training – in particular the development of a Security Management module on this topic, which will be used in contexts where CBRN is a (perceived) threat
2. Development of an FAQ style information sheet, to be available to staff, interested members, agencies & course participants
3. Awareness raising: to enable NGOs to develop more informed positions and policies in relation to CBRN risks
As part of the Awareness raising objective RedR will shortly be hosting a CBRN Seminar on:
RISK MANAGEMENT & STAFF SECURITY IN THE FACE OF THE CBRN THREAT, This seminar will take place Friday 14th March 2003, and provide a much needed information & discussion forum, for agency decision makers to learn from each other, and from key experts, about the operational & staff protection issues that arise when operating in a (potential) CBRN risk environment.
Attendance to the seminar is by invitation only for Senior Managers/decision makers of Humanitarian Agencies, with a responsibility for Operations and/or Staff Security & Safety.
However if anyone feels that their agency has been ommitted from the invite list, and wishes to send a representative, please contact myself or Jenny Tinker (jenny@redr.org) at RedR.
I will post relevant documents (including the seminar report/outcomes) once they become available.
Lucy Hodgson
Training Co-ordinator,
Email: Lucy@redr.org
|
Lucy Hodgson
Member
Username: Lucy_h
Post Number: 4
Registered: 02-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2003 - 02:22 pm: | |
Attached is the report of the RedR Seminar RISK MANAGEMENT & STAFF SECURITY IN THE FACE OF THE CBRN THREAT, held in London on the 14th March 2003
Best wishes
Lucy Hodgson
Training Co-ordinator,
Email: Lucy@redr.org
|
HalNewman
Guest
| | Posted on Monday, October 06, 2003 - 10:27 pm: | |
G'day,
My firm has been working on raising awareness of a WMD Basic Awareness Training program which was created by a consortium of three American companies. I believe this application may be unique in terms of its technology (platform) and the breadth and depth of content. Could you please take a look at the following backgrounder and let me know if you see any connections/applications.
Be well. Practice big medicine.
Hal Newman
Team EMS Inc.
T: +1 514 697-1470
E: hnewman@tems.ca
Paratus Associates launches unique WMD Basic Awareness Training program
Contact person: Mike Ramsey 859-223-3464
BUCKHANNON WV (Oct 6 2003) – The Federation of American Scientists estimates there are more than five million emergency responders nationwide who require WMD training.[1] Paratus Associates has addressed this critical need with its CD-ROM delivered instructional program 'Weapons of Mass Destruction Basic Awareness Training.'
This program was designed to help state and local jurisdictions -- especially those in rural areas -- prepare for terrorism incidents. Employing compressed video and Microsoft PowerPoint slides to deliver clear, concise instruction on desktop or laptop computers (both Windows and Macintosh platforms) the WMD Basic Awareness Training program delivers the essentials in a unique student-driven interactive environment.
The program even supports (though does not require) interfacing with Internet-based resources to enhance the learning experience.
The WMD Basic Awareness Training program content has been developed over a two-year period using the most current and accurate information available and meets all course curriculum standards of the Office for Domestic Preparedness, Department of Homeland Security and the National Fire Academy.
"We wanted to ensure that every first responder who needs this training can get it -- we designed this program to be accessible to everyone. The platform we use to deliver this course allows any emergency provider with access to a computer to be able to acquire state-of-the-art WMD education," said Mike Ramsey of Paratus Associates.
The program features compressed video linked to PowerPoint slides -- which means the entire program fits onto two CD-ROMs. Students can stop and restart presentations at will to memorize, review or clarify points. A list below the instructor's window provides access to frequently-asked questions, on-disk reference materials, or related web sites.
A sub-title window provides synchronized streaming text for the hearing impaired or to enhance student focus and absorption.
"It's almost as if you had a personal instructor -- one-on-one," said Ramsey.
Paratus Associates' WMD Basic Awareness Training program covers:
Basic awareness, including discussion of the Federal Response and Terrorism Plans;
Chemical and physical properties of WMD agents;
Most common chemical and biological agents;
Incendiary/explosive agents;
Nuclear agents; and
Personal protective equipment and safety issues.
Paratus Associates have priced WMD Basic Awareness Training to economically address the national imperative for counter-terrorism education. The complete program costs less than a student's hotel room and board for a single day.
"The instructor comes to the student, on the student's schedule, at home or on the job. The material can be reviewed at any time to provide both initial and refresher training for one low cost," said Ramsey.
Copies of Paratus Associates' WMD Basic Awareness Training program are available online at www.paratusassociates.com For further information, contact Paratus Associates at (304) 472-9520.
--------------------------------------------------[1] ‘Training Technology Against Terror : Using Advanced Technology to Prepare America’s Emergency Medical Personnel and First Responders for a Weapon of Mass Destruction Attack,’ Federation of American Scientists, September 2002
|
Chris Piper
Member
Username: Cpiper
Post Number: 16
Registered: 01-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 07, 2003 - 10:45 am: | |
> [Hal has raised an important issue here, one which we discussed in AWN earlier in the year.
The issue of NGOs and UN agencies training for WMD scenarios is an important one to consider, but one which we need to really wise to regarding our practical involvement.
Decent Security Strategies (see Van Brabants excellent book - Operational Security Management in Violent Environments - ISBN 0 85003 457 4) stress the need for a balanced Acceptance-Protection-Deterrance approach (personally I feel we are seeing too much stick and not enough carrot however at the moment...).
In looking at Protection NGOs/UN agencies need to seriously consider the contextural environment we operate in.
1. There is certainly a threat to certain Western countries from a mixture of WMD weapons. However the responsibility for dealing with such incidents falls firmly with recipient governments and I cannot generally see a role for NGOs at least - other than of course the US Red Cross, British red Cross etc
2. NGOs/UN agencies are more likely to get involved in some other scenarios and I woould suggest the two most worrying here are N.Korea and Kashmir (India/Pakistan). The WMD threat here is very much nuclear orientated rather than chemical/biological.
It would make sense if there was a small cadre of senior UN/NGO practitioners who were being prepared for working in a post-conflict environment, one which had been affected by a WMD nuclear exchange. The UN agencies would logically include UNHCR, WFP, WHO, UNICEF, ICRC/IFRC etc and the NGOs would be the big boys - eg CARE, World Vision, MSF - SCF, OXFAM, IRC etc. It also makes sense that certain national Red Cross societies (eg Indian, S.Korean) consider training for such scenarios.
It would be interesting for agencies to check whether there has been any realistic training and use of equipment. I remember that the following has been achieved:
- Last year Merlin and the LSHTM produced 'Hope for the Best. Prepare for the Worst. How humanitarian organisations can respond to weapons of mass destruction'. It was excellent - authors G.Prescott, L.Doull, E.Sondorp, H.Bower, A.Mozumder
- UCLA's Centre for Emergency Medecine has recently produced a CD -Rom (in conjunction with OFDA, IMC and others) entitled ' Chemical, Biologic and Radiation Threats: A Guide for Aid workers' The contacts here ar Dr Eric Savitsky (director) on esavitsk@ucla.edu and Dr Koren Shelton (Assoc Di) on kshelton@mednet.ucla.edu
- I remember that the training centre in Hawaii (COE-DMHA) ran some CBRN training courses earlier this year, and I think RedR was also considering doing this.
Hopes this helps clarify the picture.
cheers
Chris |
F Rouseff
Guest
| | Posted on Friday, April 09, 2004 - 11:29 pm: | |
Preliminary Self Assessment Questionaire
for Possible Uranium Contamination
UMRC (www.umrc.net ) provides a self-assessment questionnaire online for individuals who have reason to suspect they may have been contaminated by uranium as a result of being exposed to uranium-alloyed weapons. This preliminary self-assessment questionnaire is presented for use by civilians, NGO staff and military personnel who live in or who have served in theatres of war and where bombs and munitions are suspected to contain uranium alloys. You may wish to contact UMRC to arrange a professional assessment or referral.
For further information please see Aid Workers Forum MIDDLES EAST - IRAQ – Health Hazards to Field Workers in Iraq and the full version of the Self Assessment Questionaire.
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Bruce Campbell
Member
Username: Membruce
Post Number: 1
Registered: 01-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 04, 2005 - 09:20 pm: | |
There is allot of good stuff at:
http://www.fema.gov/tab_education.shtm
Free on-line courses are at:
http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/
Good luck!
Bruce |
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