First responders at the “Awareness” level are individuals who are likely to witness or discover a hazardous substance release and who have been trained to initiate an emergency response sequence by notifying the proper authorities of the release.
They would take no further action beyond notifying the authorities of the release. First responders at the awareness level shall have sufficient training or have had sufficient experience to objectively demonstrate competency in the following areas:
- An understanding of what hazardous substances are and the risks associated with them in an incident.
- An understanding of the potential outcomes associated with an emergency created when hazardous substances are present.
- The ability to recognize the presence of hazardous substances in an emergency.
- The ability to identify the hazardous substances, if possible.
- An understanding of the role of the first-responder awareness individual in the employer’s emergency response plan including site security and control and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Emergency Response Guidebook.
- The ability to realize the need for additional resources and to make appropriate notifications to the communication center.
Two hour, four hour or eight hour formats are available. The number of hours needed are based on your sites complexity, your risks, time available, your budget, etc.
Program Length
- 2, 4 or 8 hours
Certification
- Full-colored framed wall certificate good for one year