In the Spotlight: Richard Morris

Richard Morris has been a hazardous materials instructor for the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) since 2020 and has worked in the fire service since 1992.

Morris has been a member of Washington, D.C.’s, Special Operations Battalion and its Hazardous Materials Unit, the latter which is solely dedicated to hazmat response and training. The HMU responds to an average of 900 calls a year.

As a hazardous materials group leader, Morris regularly responds to large events in the city, such as the national Independence Day celebration, which regularly draw over 400,000 people, and presidential inaugurations, which typically attract upward of a million spectators.

“It is my hope that, through training and sharing personal experiences, I can help prepare responders to make critical decisions which produce positive outcomes,” says Morris.