Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons holds training on emergency response in Sri Lanka

Fifteen member states of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) took part in a training course last month aimed at preparing each member in handling emergency response to chemical incidents.

The course was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from Feb. 6-10 and was the fifth regional training course of its kind. In total, 37 participants trained with OPCW from various agencies involved in chemical emergency response and civil defense. Training was organized by Sri Lanka’s National Authority for Chemical Weapons, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and the OPCW.

Each participant trained in the fundamentals of emergency response in the event a chemical weapon might be used. The courses had emergency responders train using protective equipment, monitoring and detection tools, decontamination, and first responder best practices involving chemical weapons agents and toxic industrial chemicals.

Participants of the training included representatives from Bahrain, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, and Sri Lanka.

“In a world in which the use or threat of use of chemical weapons and the likelihood of chemical incidents loom ever larger, the OPCW assists its Member States to fortify their emergency preparedness,” said Shawn DeCaluwe, head of OPCW’s Assistance and Protection Branch. “This course brings together first responders from a great number of countries, helping them to establish a professional vanguard to combat such threats.”

OPCW said an advanced training course will be held in China in July 2017.