HazSim Offers Training In The Life-Saving Zone

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 these duties at the same time.

manipulative skills

Users can learn new theories, concepts, meter operations, and chemistry in the classroom. But it is the manipulative skills that ultimately help go home at shift change.

To be effective in the field, hazmat student needs to be challenged outside their comfort zone. HazSim always has used words such as “comfort zone” and “pucker factor.” The term that sums it up: “the life-saving zone.” This zone is where all of the senses are challenged to make the correct decision and take the correct action at 2 a.m.

hazmat drill

The students need to engage in decision-making mental acuity in conjunction with realistic equipment

When it comes to meter training or any hazmat drill, it is important to put the operator in the life-saving zone. Whether new skills or refreshers, the students need to engage in decision-making mental acuity in conjunction with realistic equipment.

Whether it be the application of that kit or defining the initial hot zone, being as realistic as possible is what will ultimately save lives on game day.

K9 handler

As a former K9 handler, Phil Ambrose knows how critical it is for the dog to learn to work on their own. Yet when he entered the hazmat world in the early ‘90s, he found that HazSim were setting up elaborate scenarios for students and then whispering answers into their ears.

Phil watched drill instructors stand nearby and let the entry/survey team know if they were “hot” or “cold” while unknowingly taking away their ability to make decisions that would determine their safety. 

life-saving experience

K9 experts let dogs work independently, yet hazmat instructors tether themselves to the humans and ruin their chance of life-saving experience. A life-saving experience develops muscle memory so the correct reaction is triggered at 2 a.m. when things can go bad.

Phil developed the HazSim so an instructor can create a safe but “out of the comfort zone” environment without short-circuiting the learning process.

Skills training

The HazSim gives accurate readings and forces students to make decisions based on those readings. Students will develop life-saving skills that are lost when an instructor feeds them the critical information, they need to experience first-hand, in real-time.  

The technician going down range in the hot zone is facing serious potential danger. They must train in skills, like the ability to accurately interpret meter data, that will ultimately save their life or the life of another.