Improvised Explosive Awareness Training

Last week I came across a notice on the American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care® website announcing an improvised explosive awareness training course being put on by the Chemical Branch of the DHS Sector Specific Agency. The notice announced a January class in Houston, TX with later classes in Los Angeles, Dover, Newark, Detroit, and Chicago (exact dates yet to be announced). It also provided a point of contact at DHS for further information, whom I have contacted. Nohemi Zerbi (Nohemi.zerbi@dhs.gov, (703) 235 – 2871) was kind enough to provide me with a flyer for the Houston class. To register for the free class (first come, first serve) you just need to contact Nohemi. Registration is limited by the number of seats available at the venue. In any case, registration closes on December 23, 2008. This is a day long course (8:00 am to 4:30 pm). It will address the basics of both improvised explosive devices (IED’s) and vehicle borne IED’s (VBIED’s) with a view to reducing vulnerabilities and providing “information sharing resources to improve preparedness”. It looks like the target audience is probably corporate security types or possibly Facility Security Managers. I am trying to get some further information on the background of the presenters and some more information about the level of detail that will be provided. If and when I get additional information, I will let you know.