Hazardous Materials Technician

Hazardous Materials Technician (HMT) is a five-day course that prepares Operations-level responders for Technician-level Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) certification. This 40-hour course, based on NFPA® 1072: Standard for Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Emergency Response Personnel Professional Qualifications and NFPA® 472 standards, provides participants with HAZMAT-specific response knowledge and skills, enabling them to respond safely and effectively to a suspected incident at the hazardous materials technician level. Participants receive hands-on training in donning and doffing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Levels A and B, containing leaks and drum over-packing, containing leaks in pressurized containers, and performing technical and mass decontamination. The HMT course culminates with performance of these offensive-level tasks in an activity in which the participants apply the knowledge and skills learned in a simulated HAZMAT environment. Graduates have the opportunity to take the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications (Pro Board) and the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) exam for HAZMAT Technician certification through the Alabama Fire College.

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

• Plan a response to a hazardous materials incident
• Identify hazardous material container damage
• Identify hazardous materials
• Estimate size of an endangered area
• Terminate the incident
• Perform decontamination operations
• Don and doff personal protective equipment level A
• Don and doff personal protective equipment level B
• Contain a leak in a 55-gallon drum
• Contain a leak in a pressurized container
• Contain a leak in a MC 306/DOT 406 Dome Cover

The target audience for this course is operational-level responders with technician-level HAZMAT response duties, assignments or requirements in their jurisdiction. This course meets prerequisite for responders attending the Hazardous Devices School, Huntsville, AL.

To be eligible for the course, the student must:

• Have a requirement or responsibility to serve as a technician-level HAZMAT responder;
• Complete PER-322 Hazardous Materials Operations or NFPA 472-conformant state or jurisdiction operations level hazardous materials training;
• Complete independent study IS-100.b Introduction to the Incident Command System, ICS 100, or any of the IS-100 series;
• Complete IS-200.b ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents, ICS 200 or any of the IS-200 series;
• Be capable of lifting tools and equipment up to approximately 50 pounds;
• Be capable of standing and walking for prolonged periods;
• Be capable of donning, operating in Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), and doffing PPE to include being physically and mentally capable of wearing a respirator that conforms tightly to the face or equipment that encapsulates the head; and
• Be capable of operating in confined spaces.

Exceptions to any of the above prerequisites may be granted on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Center for Domestic Preparedness Registrar.

The Alabama Fire College and Personnel Standards & Education Commission is accredited by both the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications (Pro Board) and the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC). As a professional courtesy, the CDP provides test administration at the CDP facility immediately following the conclusion of the HMT course. As a prerequisite for Pro Board and IFSAC accreditation, each participant who elects to take the test must provide with the training application documented proof of NFPA 472 Hazardous Materials Awareness & Operations training and NFPA® 1072: Standard for Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Emergency Response Personnel Professional Qualifications and complete the below course requirements.

• Pass the CDP HMT course.
• Pass the skills evaluations conducted as part of the HMT course.
• Pass the AFC’s 100-question test at the end of the HMT course.
• Contact AFC’s Registration Office, pay the $30 fee, and request release of your final score. testing@alabamafirecollege.org.
  
  

Please read the Certification Candidate Information Sheet for further information.

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) – 4.0 CEUs