COBRATF upgrades near completion

FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) this week is making final upgrades to its Chemical, Ordnance, Biological and Radiological Training Facility (COBRATF).

The upgrades began in the spring of 2022, when the COBRATF’s training bays were closed for decontamination, ensuring the safety of contractors working on the project.

Since then, enhancements involving multiple areas of the facility have taken place, including construction of a 30- by 90-foot building in the center’s outdoor training area, upgrades to the HVAC and hot water systems; and improved safety and security equipment.

The biggest changes, however, have occurred in the training bays, where exercises are conducted with biological materials and nerve agents.

Gone are outdated scenes, such as an electronics store.

In their place is an immersive experience, which begins as students walk through an alley door, past a police department and into a street scene, complete with trees and a sidewalk. Doors open from the sidewalk into a variety of updated training scenarios, including a subway, an industrial loading dock, Lucky’s Bar and an illicit drug lab. New vinyl wall coverings and props help enhance the realism of each scene.

In a typical year, up 2,500 responders train at the COBRA facility. It is the only place in the country where civilian responders train with biological materials and toxic chemical agents.