Simulator boosts realism in hazmat training exercises
The Mesa (Ariz.) Fire/Medical Department recently used HazSim for year-end hazmat drills involving department personnel, as well as Phoenix regional hazmat teams. HazSim is a hazmat-detection simulation system for chemical identification drills that offers up to 1,000-meter range.
After every annual drill, videotaped exercises are reviewed by training leadership, said Mesa Special Operations Capt. Paul Finley. He said they noticed in the recordings from last year that Level A personnel had detectors around their necks or in their pockets and paid little attention to them.
“They never once looked at the meter,” Finley said. “The meters never gave real-time feedback, which is not how it is in a real incident.”
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