International training course on assistance and protection against chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals
Bern, 01.07.2024 - Trainers from the NBC EOD Centre of Competence will teach the basics of chemical emergency survival to 25 representatives from States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The State Secretariat for Security Policy (SEPOS) is coordinating the course in cooperation with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) will run a hands-on basic course in Spiez from 1 to 5 July for women first responders, in partnership with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The course forms part of the OPCW’s international training cycle on assistance and protection for women first responders, which this year accepted applications exclusively from women participants for the first time. Trainers from the NBC EOD Centre of Competence of the Armed Forces (NBC EOD CC) will teach the basics of assistance and protection to 25 first responders from States Parties to the CWC, with a focus on responding to incidents involving chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals.
The DDPS has run training courses for over 25 years in order to improve protective capacity in accordance with Article X of the CWC. More than 1,300 participants from some 110 countries have taken these courses over the years, earning Switzerland wide recognition for its expertise in the field.
In addition to the basic course, the Swiss training cycle includes an advanced course and an exercise in which participants respond to complex chemical emergency scenarios.
Working together with the OPCW and its States Parties, the DDPS has also run similar courses in central Asia and Africa in order to build up regional expertise.
Address for enquiries
Stéphanie Grillet
Head of Communication SEPOS
+41 58 463 07 09
Publisher
State Secretariat for Security Policy
https://www.sepos.admin.ch/de
General Secretariat DDPS
https://www.vbs.admin.ch/
Federal Office for Civil Protection
http://www.bevoelkerungsschutz.admin.ch/
