The National Chemical Emergency Centre (NCEC) is pleased to announce that Ed Sullivan has recently joined the team in a new role as the Hazmat Lead.
Ed brings a wealth of experience gained through working for a local authority fire and rescue service (FRS) for 17 years and the last 2 years as the hazardous materials (hazmat) lead at the Fire Service College.
For over 45 years, NCEC has been providing support to the UK’s emergency services through Chemsafe, the UK chemical industry’s voluntary scheme for providing expert advice in the event of a chemical emergency, and Chemdata®, NCEC’s chemical hazard database.
With Ed’s arrival, NCEC will be expanding its services to include more online learning, and training courses in wet chemistry field testing and hazardous materials adviser revalidation.
Online learning
With Ed’s expert guidance, our team of chemists and hazmat specialists is producing a library of interactive online learning packages that will be available to host on various devices. Ed fully understands the time constraints placed on fire officers, so we are ensuring that learning is offered in bitesize chunks, usually less than 15 minutes with a 5-minute summative assessment at the end. This online learning can be used by hazmat advisers as continual professional development (CPD) or by first responders as introductory material. Ed will be developing a recruit-level ‘introduction to hazmat’ package to complement these. All learning packages will be in line with the National Operational Guidance and aligned with best practice.
Wet chemistry field testing
We now offer wet chemistry field testing as a one-day training course or as a supplement to other training courses. Participants will be provided with their own field kit and a handbook with details on the testing processes. The course includes:
- An introduction to equipment.
- Overview of incident types.
- How to manage scenes.
- How to identify materials from each of the UN hazmat classes.
- Post incident considerations.
- Practical scenarios.
Hazardous materials adviser revalidation
This course uses simulated incidents to emulate hazardous scenarios and can be held at a location chosen by the client. It is a bespoke course that can be adapted and delivered in a style to suit an individual FRS. This course is delivered in line with the National Operational Guidance and best practice. Our instructors will be able to adapt the course to incorporate current trends.
‘I am very excited to start this new chapter supporting the emergency services in a different way. I look forward to working with you all.’ – Ed Sullivan, NCEC Hazmat Lead
Ed would very much like to hear from you to understand how best he can address your training needs. He would welcome the opportunity to work in partnership with FRSs, enabling NCEC to better assist you in your emergency response training needs.
If you think that you would benefit from NCEC’s support to help you comply with the complexity of hazardous materials regulations, and protect your people, the environment, assets and reputation, then please email Ed at ed.sullivan@ricardo.com.
