CASARM audit commences at COBRA

The Chemical, Ordnance, Biological and Radiological Training Facility at the Center for Domestic Preparedness is currently undergoing its annual Chemical Agent Standard Analytical Reference Material (CASARM) audit – one of several routine examinations of the facility by experts from the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and others.

A quality assurance team from the U.S. Army’s Edgewood Chemical Biological Center is conducting the inspection, which includes reviewing administrative documents, structural items, and the facility’s operational processes. The ECBC, headquartered in Maryland, is the nation's premier authority on chemical and biological research, development and defense.

The CDP trains up to 2,500 civilian first responders a year to detect and operate in environments with chemical, biological and nuclear materials. It offers the only civilian training courses in the nation with actual chemical agents and biological materials. The agents and materials increase students’ confidence to deal with hazardous substances during a real-world attack or other incident.