Students to train in new protective suits

Students attending select courses at the CDP’s COBRA (Chemical, Ordnance, Biological, and Radiological) Training Facility will soon be outfitted with Blauer XRT suits when they train here.

The Blauer XRT suits will replace the military JSLIST (Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology) suits that students have worn for years.  Blauer XRT suits can easily be acquired by civilian agencies. The JSLIST suits are typically available only to military personal.

“We want to give our students confidence in PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) their home agency can procure,” John Blandamer, COBRATF Operations Manager, said of the change.

CDP instructors and support staff have been training on the Blauer XRT ensemble for months. The training has included how to properly don (put on) and doff (take off) the suit, as well as how to properly size it for students.

The CDP offers the only civilian training courses in the nation featuring live chemical agents such as GB and VX, and biological materials such as ricin and anthrax. Training with the substances increases responders’ confidence to deal with toxic materials during a real-world incident or attack.

In a typical year, approximately 2,500 responders train at the COBRA facility.