HazSim News

Polk County (Fla.) Fire Rescue’s hazmat team recently sent some photos of their HazSim units in action or, more accurately, preparing for action. gas meter Polk County’s hazmat team covers a lot of ground. They have a response area of more than 2,000 square miles with more than 700,000 population; all protected by 60 hazmat team members. The team faces everything from hazmat situations brought on by natural disasters like hurricanes to manmade threats like heavy phosphate mining....

On any given day at the Royal Canadian Mint, Protective Services Sgt. Yan Racette must contend with nitric acid, sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, and chlorine gas. And those are just some of the products used to refine precious metals as well as nitrogen oxide generated on an industrial scale, all nearby induction furnaces and molten metal emergency side pours. More importantly, Sgt. Racette is charged with training the hazmat team and mint employees on how to avoid and hand...

Firefighters must be trained once or twice a year to keep their skills sharp. Providing that training in a safe environment is a challenge, and virtual reality (VR) enables exposure to the experience of firefighting. VR training In 2017, W.S. Darley & Co. first began offering VR training by partnering with virtual reality startup FLAIM, becoming their exclusive distributor in the United States. Today, Darley has sold VR systems from several manufacturers successfully to medium size fire d...

HazSim and Hazmat Nation hosted its 5th annual networking event at IAFC’s hazmat conference and raised money for the Firefighter Cancer Support Network.  Hazmat Nation networking event More than 200 hazmat professionals attended the fifth annual Hazmat Nation networking event last week in Baltimore in conjunction with the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ hazmat conference. “This gathering has been a great way for hazmat professionals to...

A large Florida hazmat team put their equipment and personnel through ultra-realistic training and made a high-quality video to share with other teams When Polk County (Fla.) Fire Rescue’s hazmat team wanted to conduct a high-impact training event for a common, but volatile hazard, it turned to HazSim to provide enhanced realism. The team went a step further and made a forthcoming instructional video of the training for other hazmat teams. Handheld training meters The hazmat team used a...

Even the most hazmat-phobic firefighter understands that chemical agents are added to odorless natural gas to make it obvious when there’s a leak. Beyond that baseline of basic knowledge, firefighter understanding of how odor agents work and how to detect the danger behind the smell can be all over the map.  Refresher courses for safety Whether it is teaching hazmat to new cadets, conducting annual refresher courses, or leading a team of firefighters into hazmat scenarios, having th...

The FY2021 FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) opened on Monday, January 4, 2021 and closes on Friday, February 12th, 2021, at 5 pm ET, so if users haven’t already begun preparing, hurry and head over to FEMA’s Guidance Materials ASAP to take advantage of this tremendous opportunity to fund the department’s health, wellness and safety.

The profession of life-saving is complex and dangerous. Oddly, some often need to remind themselves of this. Many are not only hazmat professionals, but also EMTs, paramedics, firefighters, company commanders, law enforcement officers, EH&S specialists, lab safety specialists, risk managers, confined-space technicians, USAR technicians, WMD specialists, apparatus operators, grief counselors, supervisors, parents, spouses, and the list goes on. And, it is expected to be proficient in most of...

HazSim's Founder - Phil Ambrose originally developed the HazSim Pro to increase the situational awareness of his peers and improve safety training through realistic experiences.  The HazSim Pro is currently used to train thousands of personnel in Fire, Military, Oil and Gas, and Power facilities across North America. The system is used for basic hazwoper, HazMat Tech/Spec, Confined Space, and any training for those who encounter dangerous atmospheres. Hands-On Simulation Training "The Ha...

In 2018, HazSim welcomed Odessa College in Odessa, Texas, USA to their growing list of teams training the HazSim way. Recently, instructors from their site were featured in an article by the Odessa American detailing some of the great training they are providing in the gas detection sector. The article follows Dean McCann, a former Odessa Police officer, who now teaches oilfield safety at Odessa College. Dean McCann, also a former employee of the famed Boots & Coots, explains some of the po...

The first step to becoming a specialist in any field is to build a theoretical foundation, but having a vast amount of textbook knowledge isn’t enough to truly be an expert. While many things can be learned from behind a desk, those theories should always be backed up with practical knowledge as well. Now, while it might make sense to throw a new salesperson onto a cold call or a new server onto the restaurant floor immediately after classroom training – what about situations where...

General awareness of HAZMAT makes it clear to them that they classify hazardous materials into 9 separate classes. Often, they may find that some of the most basic concepts in emergency response are those that they should revisit from time to time, to make sure they stay proficient. These classes are no exception. Here they shall go through the nine classes, and their subdivisions, as defined by the Emergency Response Guidebook. Extremely insensitive articles Class 1: Explosives - This first...

Training is an essential priority for any subject that one wish to become proficient in. The HAZMAT training field is no exception to this. However, due to the serious and strenuous nature of HAZMAT response, it is important to safely execute training in a way that doesn’t damage gears or health. Often times one of the most costly things one can do to the response gear is ruining it while in training, rendering it useless during an actual event. Ripping and tearing the issued PPE during a...

Often in the workplace, be it emergency response, industrial, or any other field, the professionals are called upon to do everything with, obviously, safety in mind. The hazardous material handling and response industry is no exception to this ideology. From responding to incidents, to the weekly trainings, safety must be the #1 thing in the safety trainers’ minds when suiting up and heading out. Here are a few essential tips for the safety trainers to go through their laborious day: Oth...