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Ensure that responders to hazmat/WMD incidents are up to the task and reduce accidents, injuries, illnesses, and fatalities with the 2008 NFPA 472.

NFPA 472 identifies the minimum levels of competence required by responders to emergencies involving hazardous materials/weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The 2008 edition has been retitled and completely rewritten (with major chapter reorganization) to apply to ALL first responders, regardless of response discipline, who may respond to the emergency phase of such incidents. It is based on the operational philosophies that emergency responders should be trained to perform their expected tasks, and that a responder cannot safely and effectively respond to a terrorism or criminal scenario involving hazmats/WMD if they don't first understand basic hazardous materials response.

Key changes in the 2008 edition include:

• The term "responder" has been dropped from the definition of Awareness Level (now "Awareness Level Personnel"). NFPA 472 now views these individuals as those who in the course of their normal duties, may be first on-scene and expected, as part of their responsibilities, to activate the emergency notification system. Awareness Level Personnel are not viewed as emergency responders.
• Operations Level Responder--if an individual is tasked to respond to the scene of a hazardous materials/WMD incident during the emergency phase, that individual is viewed as an Operations Level Responder. Competencies for these responders have been broken down into Core Competencies, which are required of all responders at this level, and Mission-Specific Competencies, which are optional and provided so that the AHJ can match the expected tasks and duties of its personnel with the required competencies to perform those tasks.
• Hazardous Materials Technician--The definition of a hazardous materials technician has been modified to reflect the usage of a risk-based response process and the definition of a hazardous materials response team has been changed to specifically reference the performance of technician-level skills.
• The Annex contains new competencies for Hazardous Materials Technicians with a Radioactive Materials Specialty and Operational Level Responders Assigned Agent-Specific Responsibilities.