Volunteer members of the newly formed DanChem Emergency Response Team participated in nearly 50 hours of emergency response team training during the month of February under the direction of Spec Rescue International and the City of Danville Fire Department.

Training simulations included horizontal and vertical confined space rescue with various ropes and retrieval systems.  Each participant became certified to the Hazardous Material Technician Level after successful demonstrations with field survey equipment, incident command systems, personal protective equipment, advanced leak and spill control, and decontamination.  The training was concluded with certification in First Aid, Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and the use of Automatic External Defibrillators (AED).  Members of the team hope to never use the skills that they developed but they now have confidence knowing that they have the ability to provide critical life saving skills should it become necessary.  The team will continue to improve its capabilities and serve as a resource not only to their coworkers at DanChem but to local emergency responders for incidents throughout nearby communities.