All tagged Chemical

“I don’t think you are doing that right…” Equipment selection and use in CBRN Operations: Part 3

Part 3 of the CBRNPro.net series on CBRN equipment selection and use examines Ion-Mobility Spectrometry (IMS) based Chemical Agent Detectors, how they work and sometimes don’t work the way you expect, as well as a few best practices for their use, along with some useful tips and techniques to help you get the most out of your IMS detector.

WWI Further Reading

One of our readers requested some additional source material about some of what I write about on CBRNPro.net. The Further Reading list posted today will appear in our forthcoming book on Belleau Wood and in our series of publications of Rexmond Cochrane's work, but I'm posting it here for a "living version" on our website to encourage others to learn more about the most critical part of CBRN history - the beginning. 

Aum Shinrikyo Part 4: Conclusion and Summary

In the conclusion to our series exploring the Aum Shinrikyo attacks on the Tokyo Subway, CBRNPro.net argues that medical facilities, like St. Luke's in Tokyo, are a main locus for CBRN incident response, even more so than incident scenes in many cases. Planning, coordination, and information management are key to solving the problems associated with CBRN incidents, and have wider application to mass casualty incidents.

Aum Shinrikyo, Part 3: Worried Well

CBRNPro.net continues its series on Aum Shinrikyo and the response to the sarin attacks on the Tokyo subway system. In this, our third post, we examine the vexing problem of worried well that is particularly associated with major CBRN events. This problem poses significant short, medium, and long term challenges for responders, medical care givers, emergency management, and local, state, and federal officials and policy makers. We examine ways to manage the problem and explore options for implementing procedures to deal with both worried well and psychological casualties.

Podcasts Now Available on iTunes and our Superbowl Trivia Contest Continues

Did you have some friends over to watch the game? We here at CBRNPro.net had a little get together...

We also had a contest. We also listened to some podcasts, which by the way, did you know CBRNPro.net has podcasts?  Now you do. Please check out our podcasts page or iTunes to download and listen.

Also, there are two trivia questions from yesterday's Superbowl CBRN trivia contest still awaiting a correct answer on our facebook page.  Contest will run until someone gets the answers.  Winners receive a free "Keep Calm and Decon" Bumper Sticker.

Podcast 1 - William Sibert and the Long Journey to the Chemical Warfare Service

CBRNPro.net's inaugural podcast is live on our website! Download and listen today.

Trivia Question: Who designed the Gatun Locks of the Panama Canal, was the first commander of the 1st Infantry Division "The Big Red One," and was the first commander of the US Chemical Warfare Service in World War I? 

Answer: Major General William Luther Sibert, the "Hero of Panama" and "Father of the Chemical Warfare Service."

To learn how MG Sibert accomplished all that, and got relieved of command along the way, download and listen to CBRNPro.net's inaugural podcast today!

Re-examining the History of Chemical Warfare Part III

The massive scale of chemical warfare on the Western Front between March 21, 1918 and the armistice is a period most history of the war skips over.  Yet this period was marked by tactical innovation, more than at any point in the war. This innovation was concurrent with the height of American involvement: Belleau Wood,  Cantigny, St. Miheal, and the Meuse-Argonne battles all occurred in this period.  While the Americans struggled with everything, from battlefield effectiveness to logistics, the AEF reflects changes going on in the French and British Armies as well. 

Many have noted the importance of artillery to these new innovations, and some suggest this period was the harbinger of the "blitzkrieg" style of German warfare in WWII.  Few have noted the important role chemical weapons played in the final months of the Great War. CBRNPro.net examines the tactical utility of chemical weapons based on this history, in our latest post in an ongoing series re-examining the history of chemical warfare.

Re-examining the History of Chemical Warfare Part II

During the German Spring Offensives of 1918, also known as the Ludendorff Offensives and Operation Michel, the Germans used chemical weapons to an extent never seen before, or since, on the battlefield. During the largest artillery bombardment, and chemical attack, in history, Mustard ran in the gutters of the French village of Armentiers "like rain." CBRNPro.net explores this tactical innovation, and what followed in the second part of its ongoing series re-examining the history of chemical warfare, and the lessons that history can teach us today.