Two EM prime contractors recently teamed up to provide hands-on training at the Hanford Site to increase safety and prevent contamination in the event of an emergency response.
Office of Environmental Management
April 12, 2022
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RICHLAND, Wash. – Two EM prime contractors recently teamed up to provide hands-on training at the Hanford Site to increase safety and prevent contamination in the event of an emergency response.
Hanford Laboratory Management and Integration (HLMI) and Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) launched a series of firefighter equipment “doffing,” or removal, training sessions at the site’s 222-S Laboratory for the lab’s emergency response personnel.
The sessions provided hands-on practice to train facility emergency response support personnel in quickly removing potentially contaminated personal protective equipment (PPE) from a firefighter without jeopardizing the firefighter’s well-being, while still controlling the spread of contamination. HLMI chemical technologists and health physics technicians primarily would perform this task if there were such an event at the 222-S Laboratory Complex.
“Successful performance of these emergency preparedness exercises develops the skills of the personnel involved as well as the coordination between site contractors necessary to safely complete the Hanford mission,” 222-S Laboratory Program Manager Jeff Cheadle said.
The doffing process begins once the firefighter exits a hot zone — an area where a direct and immediate hazard exists. This may require removing the firefighter’s PPE in a certain order or rapid manner depending on remaining air supply, medical well-being or other factors. The process requires strong teamwork and consistent communication between facility emergency response support personnel and the firefighter.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and an increase in new employees, HLMI identified the need for hands-on practice by its team members. This need was also echoed by HMIS, which operates the Hanford Fire Department.
“It’s been clear both organizations benefited greatly from these doffing sessions,” said Ranee Nankani, HLMI emergency management specialist. “Recognizing the need for additional doffing practice was the first step; everything else fell into place nicely. This would not have been possible or successful without the teamwork between both contractors.”
Feedback from session attendees has been positive and additional sessions are scheduled.
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