Evidence Collection in a Hazardous Materials Environment

Hazardous Materials Evidence Collection for HAZMAT/WMD (HEC) is a four-day course, during which responders receive instruction in hazardous evidence preservation and sampling, field screening, evaluating physical evidence, responsibilities of evidence collection teams, and methods for evidence documentation and packaging. Students perform advanced, practical tasks in the Nation's only toxic chemical-agent training facility, the Chemical, Ordnance, Biological, and Radiological (COBRA) Training Facility.

Below are some, but not all, of the critical skill sets learned during this training program:

• Plan a response to a criminal hazardous-materials incident.
• Conduct preliminary survey of crime scene.
• Document the crime scene.
• Collect hazardous evidence.
• Screen evidence for corrosiveness, flammability, oxidation, radioactivity, and volatile organic compounds.
• Release the crime scene.
• Don and doff Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Level C.

 

 

Law Enforcement, Fire Service, and Hazardous Materials technicians who require training and practice in hazardous evidence collection.

 

To be eligible to attend the course, the student must successfully complete the following courses:

• IS-100.b Introduction to the Incident Command System, IS-100, or any of the ICS-100 series;
• Have been trained in the use of PPE in a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive environment; and
• Have a responsibility or requirement to collect evidence in a hazardous materials environment.

Exceptions to the above prerequisite may be granted on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the CDP Registrar.

The Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) is an Accredited Provider (AP) of Continuing Education Units (CEU) and is authorized to award the following CEUs for successful completion of this activity:

• IACET (International Association of Continuing Education and Training) –  3.2 CEUs