Pueblo, Colo. - The Tank Car Specialist course, one of the most popular and well known emergency response training and exercise es, is the first to be certified by DHS/FEMA at the Security and Emergency Response Training Center (SERTC).

“With the ongoing potential of HazMat incidents, this long awaited milestone for SERTC will assist in making response training more readily available to the emergency response community,” said Mike Cook, General Manager of SERTC.

The Tank Car Specialist course develops the specific fundamentals and skills associated with emergency response to railroad tank car incidents involving hazardous materials (HazMat) and/or weapons of mass destruction (WMD).  The training provides detailed technical information combined with extensive hands-on practice of the actions and appropriate responses with simulated large-scale HazMat/WMD incidents.  This specialist level course covers the highly technical skills and knowledge necessary for responding to hazardous materials in a rail transportation environment.  The skills required at this level are significantly beyond those of a hazardous material technician.

SERTC is now enrolling emergency responders for hazardous material training through a federally funded program that provides broad access to intensive training at our world- training facility located at the Transportation Technology Center, Pueblo, Colo.  Registration for training is available on our website at www.sertc.org.

Background:  DHS/FEMA funds this program through the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC).  Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) received Congressional authorization to become one of two new members of the seven member consortium on August 3, 2007.   The NDPC is a select group of leading organizations having nationally recognized expertise in security and emergency management training and education.

SERTC will manage and present courses focusing on surface transportation response as its contribution to the consortium activities.  The room, laboratory, and training equipment, including full-scale accident/incident scenarios are available to the NDPC program through the National Center for Emergency Response in Surface Transportation (NCERST), the element of SERTC responsible for managing the NDPC programs.

For more information, contact: Valerie Best Phone: 719-584-7172 Website: www.sertc.org