The Government of Belarus and the OPCW jointly organised the first international training course for Russian speaking first responders on incidents of chemical contamination from 2 to 6 September 2013 with the support of the Ministry for Emergencies. Nineteen experts from 13 States Parties participated*.
The course was hosted partly by the Institute for Command Engineers in Minsk, and partly by the Institute for Retraining and Professional Development in Svetlaya Roshcha. Both institutes provided indoor and outdoor training facilities for first responders, fire fighters, rescue services and hazardous material (HazMat) personnel.
The course offered a basic introduction to the use of personal protective equipment against toxic chemicals, as well as to monitoring, detection and decontamination techniques. Participants also acquired general knowledge regarding chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals. The course facilitated the exchange of information and experience among the participants regarding the implementation of Article X of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
* Armenia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Vietnam