The University of Arizona Department of Emergency Medicine in Tucson has already helped thousands of paramedics, nurses, doctors and others take that first step for medical preparedness by developing the Advanced HAZMAT Life Support Course. This is the only course of its kind in the nation that trains emergency health professionals to treat victims of hazardous materials incidents – whether chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear.
To date, more than 7,000 medical professionals in the United States and 46 foreign countries have been trained in this intensive two-day course – and many of them are now course instructors themselves offering this life-saving training in their home states and countries.
The need for this intensive training remains widespread. In the United States alone there are more than 300,000 emergency services personnel, including paramedics, emergency nurses and physicians and hospital pharmacists. This course focuses on the skills necessary to provide care in today’s hazardous world, including state-of-the-art medical therapy for victims of hazmat incidents and toxic terrorism.
Frank Walter, MD, associate professor of emergency medicine, and others at the UA developed the AHLS course in 1999. It is offered by the Arizona Emergency Medicine Research Center (AEMRC) at the UA College of Medicine in collaboration with the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology.
This course is the first and most comprehensive training program in the nation to provide medical professionals the critical skills necessary to effectively manage all aspects of hazmat exposure, said Dr. Walter, An expert in medical toxicology and hazardous materials, Dr. Walter added that previous training focused almost exclusively on pre-hospital first responders, not the wider interdisciplinary group of medical professions involved in hazmat incidents at hospitals, poison control centers, clinics and other care settings.
Whether from inadvertent accidents or intentional acts of terrorism, the threat of toxic exposure to people is at an all-time high,” Dr. Walter said. “Hazmat happens.”
Trains carrying toxic materials derail. Chemical plants explode. Fires produce potentially deadly cyanide fumes. Terrorists bomb subways. And people make mistakes – a casino was evacuated because someone added bleach to a drain degreaser, creating toxic chlorine gas.
While terrorism acts are not predictable, it is possible to prepare for likely hazmat risks within a region, like a city with many chemical plants grouped together, transportation hubs where trains and trucks transport large quantities of hazardous materials. The course includes plans for establishing hazmat response systems in the community.
The AHLS course also covers important hazmat properties; decontamination; rapid assessment and medical treatment of hazmat-exposed patients; antidotes and drug therapy. The course is presented by a board-certified toxicologist and a medical doctor. Each participant receives a scientifically detailed 550-page course manual. The format includes lectures followed by small small-group interactive case studies and concludes with verification exams.
Participants range from paramedics, nurses, physicians, pharmacists and physician assistants to toxicologists, industrial hygienists and risk-management personal, mostly from the United States but also from Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Greece, Switzerland, Italy, Australia and China.
Since its introduction at the UA in 1999, this unique hazmat training program has grown across the country and worldwide, taught by regional directors and course directors who become verified instructors. Continue education credits are available. Some government funding also is available. For detailed Information on the AHLS course and upcoming locations, visit www.ahls.org.
