The National Institute of Justice is the focal point for providing support to state and local law enforcement agencies in the development of counterterrorism technology and standards, including technological needs for chemical and biological defense. In recognizing the needs of state and local emergency first responders, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, working with the National Institute of Justice, the Technical Support Working Group, the U.S. Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command, and the Interagency Board, is developing chemical and biological defense equipment guides. The guides will focus on chemical and biological equipment in areas of detection, personal protection, decontamination, medical, and communication. This document focuses specifically on chemical detection equipment for chemical agents and toxic industrial materials and was developed to assist the emergency first responder community in the evaluation and purchase of chemical detection equipment. The long range plans are to: (1) subject existing chemical detection equipment to laboratory testing and evaluation against a specified protocol, and (2) conduct research leading to the development of a series of documents, including national standards, user guides, and technical reports. It is anticipated that the testing, evaluation, and research processes will take several years to complete; therefore, the National Institute of Justice has developed this initial guide for the emergency first responder community in order to facilitate their evaluation and purchase of chemical detection equipment. In conjunction with this program, additional guides, as well as other documents, are being issued in the areas of biological agent detection equipment, decontamination equipment, personal protective equipment, medical kits and equipment, and communications equipment used in conjunction with protective clothing and respiratory equipment.

Covers: materials (chemical agents; toxic industrial materials); technologies (point detection technologies, standoff detectors, & analytical instruments); selection factors (chemical agents detected, TIMs detected, sensitivity, resistance to interferants, response time, start-up time, detection states, alarm capability, portability, power capabilities, battery needs, operational environment, durability, procurement costs, & training requirements); & equipment evaluation (equipment usage categories, & evaluation results). Appendix: recommended questions on detectors. References. Volume 2 contains market surveys, data fields, references, & indices. Illustrated.

The Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) furnishes technical support to the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) program to support law enforcement and criminal justice in the United States. OLES's function is to develop standards and conduct research that will assist law enforcement and criminal justice agencies in the selection and procurement of quality equipment.

Updated to reflect the numerous advances that have evolved since the September 11 terrorist attacks, Emergency Response Handbook for Chemical and Biological Agents and Weapons, Second Edition maintains its reputation as a comprehensive training manual for emergency responders to incidents involving nuclear, biological, and chemical materials

The threat of domestic terrorism today looms larger than ever. Bombings at the World Trade Center and Oklahoma City's Federal Building, as well as nerve gas attacks in Japan, have made it tragically obvious that American civilians must be ready for terrorist attacks. What do we need to know to help emergency and medical personnel prepare for these attacks? Chemical and Biological Terrorism identifies the R&D efforts needed to implement recommendations in key areas: pre-incident intelligence, detection and identification of chemical and biological agents, protective clothing and equipment, early recognition that a population has been covertly exposed to a pathogen, mass casualty decontamination and triage, use of vaccines and pharmaceuticals, and the psychological effects of terror. Specific objectives for computer software development are also identified. The book addresses the differences between a biological and chemical attack, the distinct challenges to the military and civilian medical communities, and other broader issues. This book will be of critical interest to anyone involved in civilian preparedness for terrorist attack: planners, administrators, responders, medical professionals, public health and emergency personnel, and technology designers and engineers.

Does the identification number 60 indicate a toxic substance or a flammable solid, in the molten state at an elevated temperature? Does the identification number 1035 indicate ethane or butane? What is the difference between natural gas transmission pipelines and natural gas distribution pipelines? If you came upon an overturned truck on the highway that was leaking, would you be able to identify if it was hazardous and know what steps to take? Questions like these and more are answered in the Emergency Response Guidebook. Learn how to identify symbols for and vehicles carrying toxic, flammable, explosive, radioactive, or otherwise harmful substances and how to respond once an incident involving those substances has been identified. Always be prepared in situations that are unfamiliar and dangerous and know how to rectify them. Keeping this guide around at all times will ensure that, if you were to come upon a transportation situation involving hazardous substances or dangerous goods, you will be able to help keep others and yourself out of danger. With color-coded pages for quick and easy reference, this is the official manual used by first responders in the United States and Canada for transportation incidents involving dangerous goods or hazardous materials.