Army Chemical Review presents professional information about Chemical Corps functions related to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, smoke, flame, and civil support operations.
Issue link: https://chemical.epubxp.com/i/533676
25 Summer 2015 requirements, and what we expect of our personnel when operating in the homeland or abroad. USACBRNS hazmat modules, courseware, and requirements exceed the mini- mum requirements associated with 29 CFR 1910.120(q). As such, only USACBRNS/DOD-executed or -validated courses meet Army CBRN specialist requirements. No other commercially available courseware has been approved by USACBRNS as meeting CBRN military occupational skill or hazmat-specifc requirements. 4 The priority for USACBRNS is to train personnel to be able to confdently execute Army and CBRN competencies across the range of military operations and, in doing so, pro- vide them with the skills and knowledge needed to seam- lessly work across DOD and with civilian and international partners. While optimized for the homeland, USACBRNS hazmat modules and courses form a critical component of the overall USACBRNS strategy to produce agile and adap- tive professionals who are able to cope with the full spec- trum of CBRN threats and hazards abroad and at home. The diversity of CBRN threats and hazards that our forces may encounter throughout the world demands that we pre- pare our Soldiers and leaders to safely apply their technical, tactical, and operational expertise across the continuum of operations. The Challenge of Competency: The Case As members of the Army profession, CBRN specialists are required to apply a substantial and diversifed set of knowledge, skills, and competencies. Given the nature of the threat and the diverse expectations that we place on our Soldiers, the development of a comprehensive CBRN train- ing and education program that is accessible along a career- long learning continuum is diffcult at best. We learned long ago that, to successfully support operational adaptability, individuals must master and sustain specifc core competen- cies, which are clusters of related knowledge and skills that signifcantly affect an individual's role and responsibility, correlate with performance on the job, and can be measured against accepted standards. For USACBRNS, the challenge has historically been to balance the diverse CBRN content that can be taught with what needs to be taught. The iden- tifcation, development, and testing of core competencies helps USACBRNS defne, measure, and refne critical learn- ing outcomes within the many modules and courses. Core competencies are typically connected to one or more key functions that help defne the mission of an organization. Key functions of the Chemical Regiment include— • Advising commanders on CBRN defense and countering weapons of mass destruction missions. • Conducting CBRN reconnaissance, surveillance, and as- sessments. • Conducting activities that prepare and protect friendly forces against CBRN hazards. • Performing CBRN consequence management activities. One of many CBRN core competencies involves the abil- ity to understand, visualize, and describe CBRN hazards within an operational context to inform and advise the com- mander and to safely conduct operations in an all-hazards CBRN environment. Hazmat training, education, and ex- periences form an important part of that competency. The process used to develop, validate, and institutionalize our hazmat-specifc modules and courses and their associated assessments was a deliberate and anticipatory USACBRNS effort—in part to meet the larger strategic goal, but also to ensure interoperability across DOD and with our civil- ian partners. The need for interoperability was by existing DOD regulations and agreements with the In- ternational Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC). USACBRNS hazmat-specifc modules and course content are accredited by IFSAC through the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center. As a result, depending on the course, USACBRNS is able to offer various levels of certifcation in hazmat response. The terms accredit, certifcation, and certify are often misapplied and used interchangeably. To accredit is to give offcial authorization to, or approval of; to provide with cre- dentials; to recognize or vouch for, as conforming to a stan- dard; to recognize, as maintaining standards that qualify graduates for admission to higher or more specialized insti- tutions or for professional practice. Certifcation is a formal, written confrmation by a proponent organization or certify- ing agency that a team or individual is capable of performing assigned critical tasks to prescribed standards. The team or individual must demonstrate the ability to perform the criti- cal tasks to standards before certifcation is issued. Accord- ing to 29 CFR 1910.120, to certify implies that the employer shall provide written certifcation to personnel who have successfully completed the training. The bottom line is that, as the proponent, the commandant certifes that graduates of USACBRNS courses have successfully met prescribed course standards. While the commandant ultimately certifes all USACBRNS graduates, the instructional and testing pro - cesses have been accredited by IFSAC, which allows the commandant to provide separate and distinct DOD/IFSAC certifcates and seals in addition to the USACBRNS gradua- tion certifcates. The issuance of professional IFSAC certif- cations associated with USACBRNS hazmat instruction was a natural progression that was initially based on a defned and justifed need by Army National Guard civil support teams—and eventually by DOD/Army—to provide profes- sional and occupational recognition for the completion of a structured program of study. If the Army invests signifcant resources to develop and provide formal CBRN training and education and students invest signifcant intellectual capital to meet existing course standards, then it seems reasonable that the institution should provide for professional certifca- tion when available. While USACBRNS hazmat courseware was designed to meet DOD/Army-specifc requirements and competencies, synergetic developmental efforts created con- ditions and content that met the predetermined qualifca- tions of various government agencies and the emergency response profession.