CB Agent Handling and Surety
ECBC provides expert-level safety, industrial hygiene, security, surety and environmental protection professionals who safely handle the world’s most toxic chemical and biological materials. ECBC’s risk management experts are routinely asked to assist other organizations manage their CB surety, safety and security programs. Additionally, ECBC manages the contractor-owned, contractor-operated chemical agent laboratory program, the JPEO-CBD’s biosurety program for the acquisition of vaccines, and assists the Department of Homeland Security in managing their Chemical, Ordnance, Biological, Radiological Training Facility (COBRATF) in Alabama. ECBC also ensures availability of an adequate agent supply for defensive research and development.
Expertise and/or capabilities:
Single Small Scale Facility
Latest News:
COBRA Training Facility Provides Emergency Responders Valuable ChemBio Education
The U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) participates in a unique collaboration that aids in protecting citizens nationwide by training civilian emergency responders at the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) in Anniston, Ala.
The CDP began operations in 1998, originally under the Department of Justice (DOJ) and then became a part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) upon its inception. While remaining in the DHS, the CDP currently resides under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Throughout the past 14 years, ECBC has supported the CDP and more specifically the Chemical, Ordnance, Biological and Radiological (COBRA) training facility. The CDP is located in Anniston, Ala. The COBRA training facility is the only place in the nation where civilian emergency responders can train in a chemical environment using nerve agents GB and VX.
CDP training is fully funded by DHS for state, local and tribal responders. To date, through both resident and nonresident training, more than 712,000 responders from every state and several countries abroad have been trained to respond, manage and cleanup in the case of a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosives attack.
ECBC supports the mission of the COBRA training facility through an interagency agreement between DHS and the Army Materiel Command (AMC). This includes providing an onsite liaison with the CDP who can aid in military equipment procurement, technical expertise in chemical and biological warfare and work to establish a standards document to help the CDP operate the surety program under a code of safety.
The CDP’s training programs and facility upgrades continue to provide the very best in advanced hands-on training for America's emergency responders. Keeping current with emerging threats, ECBC recently assisted CDP with integrating non-pathogenic biological materials into the COBRA training facility and updating facilities to provide a more realistic training environment.
“It’s been an honor to share in the success of CDP expanding their training program to include non-pathogenic biological materials and further enhance the training available to first responders throughout the nation,” said Jennifer Sollenberger, acting Safety and Health Manager.
