Sandia signs memorandum of agreement with California Fire and Rescue Training Authority

Sandia National Laboratories announced on Wednesday that it has signed a a memorandum of agreement with the California Fire and Rescue Training Authority (CFRTA) to incubate and develop new concepts for fire rescue and safety operations.

Sandia’s plans for developing the concepts include simulations of rapid response situations like wildfires and fallout from toxic chemicals and radiation.

“The strong relationship between Sandia and the CFRTA is yielding a number of benefits,” Marianne Walck, vice president of Sandia’s California site and the energy and climate program, said. “The partnership provides Sandia with operational partners to help us transition technology to emergency managers and first responders. At the same time, the CFRTA is gaining access to technologies that can enhance preparedness across the state. This is a perfect opportunity for Sandia to deploy technology in the field to test operational concepts, evaluate readiness and refine technology requirements.”

Sandia also recently received a $50,000 grant from the state of California to build three emergency response scenarios for the state and the CFRTA regarding wildfires, a chlorine tanker release and radiological dispersal device situations, as well as the possible hazards that may arise from such events.

“The work provided by Sandia will help emergency responders be better prepared to respond to large-scale, human caused and natural disasters,” Ruben Grijalva, executive director of the CFRTA, said. “This new partnership will allow the CESC to be used as a test-bed for Sandia-developed technologies.”