CDP passes DHS inspection

The CDP’s Chemical, Ordnance, Biological, and Radiological Training Facility (COBRATF) recently passed an inspection of its Biological Material Lab by the Department of Homeland Security’s Compliance Assurance Program Office (CAPO).

The office provides oversight of the lab to ensure treaty compliance, biosafety, and agent and toxin security, among other things.

CAPO inspectors said the inspection confirmed the COBRATF is fully compliant with the current Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories manual and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines, with no major findings.

This is one of six external compliance or validation inspections the CDP receives annually or biannually, due to the nature of its activities. Included are compliance inspections by experts from the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and others.

In a typical year, the CDP trains up to 2,500 civilian first responders to detect and safely operate in environments with chemical, biological and nuclear materials. It offers the only civilian training in the nation featuring live chemical agents and biological materials such as ricin (Ricin A Chain) and anthrax (Bacillus anthracis delta Sterne), which increases responders’ confidence to deal with hazardous substances in real-world incidents.