The symposium, took place at The Plaza Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach, Florida yesterday, featured hands-on training; a trade show; and a hazmat team competition aimed at helping hazardous materials technicians improve their ability to respond to potential threats.

Dan Gelston, President of SDI, said, “SDI’s world-class detection and identification solutions help first-responders quickly understand the situations they are reacting to in the field. Our broad-ranging expertise and real-world experience, along with close customer interaction and feedback, enables SDI to design and manufacture cutting-edge products that meet customer needs and maximize first-responder capabilities.”

Dr. Weber’s workshop,“Tactical Chemistry,” was designed to provide technicians the opportunity to address a variety of tactical decision-making challenges at hazardous materials incidents through chemical demonstrations; scenario-based exercises; hands-on activities; and chemical identification exercises. Participants used a variety of air monitoring and sample identification equipment, including pH paper; M8 paper; oxidiser paper; multi-gas detectors; PIDs; Raman; FTIR; and GC/MS instruments. The class was highly interactive and included discussions on real-world scenarios based on current events and experience.