16 Hours

Objective: Familiarize students with biological weapons characteristics, design, and production processes to provide an awareness of various growth methods and hazards associated with the agents.  

This course combines lecture and demonstration starting with a general overview and history of biological weapons and their use. Students will be informed of the rationale and design of biological agents for use as weapons. Basic principles of growth and associated equipment is presented for various types of biological materials (bacteria, virus, and toxins). The course also includes hands-on demonstrations of biological processes, emphasizing potential hazards and sampling opportunities. 

32 Hours | Home Depot Course

Objective: Students understand the production of biological agents by demonstration and growth of biological material.  

The course combines lecture with hands-on design and build of biological processes. It focuses on non-state sponsored productions processes and use of easily acquired material for production of biological agents. The initial instruction will provide a general overview of agents, growth characteristics, and requirements for production. Students will then be given the opportunity to design and build production processes using commercially available material. The course concludes with analysis of the processes and quality of the product generated. 

Course length is tailored to customer requirements

Objective: Introduce chemical weapons and warfare agents.

The topic is treated from a historical, developmental, and likely-use perspective. The toxic properties, exposure symptoms, countermeasures, and basic synthetic methods for the major classes of chemical agents is reviewed.

This course also delves into the development of these weapons and both past and possible use scenarios. The course is readily customized for the first responder, support team member, or the warfighter. It provides a “what to look for” in common chemical weapons synthetic efforts. It serves as the basis for the Improvised and Clandestine Laboratory Course as well as other sampling and analysis courses offered by NSRI. The course can be offered at the Secret or Unclassified level. 

16 hours

Objective: Students become familiar with the hazards and threats associated with synthetic opioids.

This course is designed to improve the safety and effectiveness of anyone who responds to an incident at a PBA laboratory. Participants will be provided with risk-based response guidelines on selecting personal protective equipment and decontamination equipment, and they will be able to recognize incident indicators.

Students will receive hands-on instruction on different fentanyl synthesis pathways, production and current trends and sophistication of synthetic opioid clandestine lab operations. All participants will have the opportunity to test current detection and identification methods utilizing their equipment. The course concludes with a practical decontamination demonstration where students will examine the effectiveness of various decontamination methods using a visual stimulant.

2 - 3 days

The XBRT Analytical Exercise is a dynamic exercise to stress and hone the operational capability of fully-trained analytical laboratory operators through 36 or up to 72 hours of continuous analytical operation. In a multilaboratory/team environment, the exercise will challenge the operational awareness and objective-oriented focus of laboratory operators while they process challenging samples and integrate intelligence and information from multiple incidents. The dynamic time-sensitive scenario will require operators to leverage training, experience, and knowledge to provide the most accurate and relevant information in-time to make a difference.

• Triage samples by sample type, origin, and probability of most hazardous
• Prioritize how samples will be processed as a single lab or as multiple labs
• Apply scientific expertise and references to complete RFIs
• Maintain quality standards of record management
• Identify or characterize radiation and FTIR spectra received electronically
• Identify or characterize the hazard from chemical and biological samples
• Track sample progress among shifts, participants, and participating laboratories
• Exercise or establish protocols and procedures with local Public Health and agency laboratories
• Provide the most accurate answers and recommendations in a timely manner

2 weeks

The XBRT-ABLC is an intensive analytical operations-focused course designed to ensure the next generation of analytical leaders stay relevant and continue to provide the best assistance and advice. The course will challenge students to demonstrate expertise in biosurveillance techniques, concepts, and adaptive thinking while working to solve current and/or historical analytical operations problems faced by the CST community. 

In order to remain relevant, students will:

• Learn from the stories, programs, and projects that comprise the biosurveillance community including engagement with Public Health, Deployed Field Diagnostics Mission Partners, CWMD Agencies, and National Laboratories/Institutes. 
• Develop or select models, theories, and hypothesis to test current biosurveillance operations, protocols, or procedures with the goal of creating refined, specific, and relevant solutions or documenting findings. 
• Perform experiments to test hypotheses or models based on current biosurveillance TTPs. 
• Be expected to learn and adapt new technologies and instruments into operational models of biosurveillance in order to guide validation and implementation of these maturing technologies. 
• Be expected to present their projects and demonstrate utility and relevance for University of Nebraska graduate credit.

Students may also receive classified briefings on assay specific Students will demonstrate understanding of CLIP/CLIA and ISO programs ensuring a literacy in the concept of quality and legal requirements of clinical and environmental biosurveillance. Each student will be responsible for his or her own laboratory instruments, equipment, data, and success.

32 hours

Objective: Detailed security awareness and training to travelers.

Millions of people travel every year on business, education or for pleasure, often to countries that have a high risk of crime and terrorism. This basic safety course for travelers helps individuals or groups traveling abroad to remain safe.

This is a three-phase course that combines scenario-based training evolutions and culminates in a capstone field training event. The course is broken down into modules that follow the traveler’s journey from start to finish and focus on best practices to enable a safe and secure trip. Each module will guide the participant through practical, effective steps for remaining safe. By the end of the course there is awareness of how potentially unsafe situations arise and a suite of planned responses to such situations, should they occur.

40 hours

Objective: Provide law enforcement or tactical response team with training on equipment and tactics needed to safely respond to and operate in an environment involving the terrorist use of a weapons of mass destruction —chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapon.

The course covers a general awareness of chemical, biological, and radiological and explosive (CBRNe) hazards, as viewed by the tactical team. Additional focus is placed on the crisis resolution for improvised and clandestine laboratories and force protection options, while operations in a CBRNe environment.

One of the main objectives of this course is to utilize or develop each teams Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s). Additional topics covered will be self, hasty, and emergency decontamination, first aid in a hazardous environment, tactical considerations, and officer safety issues in dealing with a small or large scale WMD event.

This is an intense course of practical application and scenario-based training. At the conclusion of the course students will be able to recognize WMD threats, choose the protective equipment for their mission profile, and safely execute their mission objectives in a hazardous environment. They will also be able to provide emergency decontamination, mitigation and stabilization of the incident. The culminating event for this course is a full-scale exercise designed to reinforce lessons learned throughout the week. Strong emphasis on interactive and practical exercises. Simulations are an important part of the course. We ensure a challenging but safe learning environment.

8 hours

Objective: Address crucial and specific skills and techniques associated with responding to a suspected biological threat and sample collection.

Students will become familiar with The National Strategy for CBRNE Standards, the Framework for a Biothreat Field Response Mission Capability and FBIDHS-HHS/CDC coordinated document guidance on initial responses to a suspicious letter/container with a potential biological threat. Students will perform field screening, site characterization and become proficient in public safety sampling techniques required in the response to a suspected biological threat.

This course consists of lecture and skill-building by utilizing hands-on collection problems. It focuses on the role of the first responder and the process of collecting forensically valid samples, through laboratory analysis; utilizing the ASTM E-2770-10 Standard Guide for Operational Guidelines for Initial Response to a Suspected Biothreat Agent and, ASTM E-2458 Bulk Sample Collection and Swab Sample Collection of Visible Powders Suspected of Being Biothreat Agents from Nonporous Surfaces Overview. This process is consistent with the FBI 12-step process for managing a crime scene, including those involving a WMD.

Additionally, students will be introduced to the CDC surface sampling procedures for Bacillus anthracis spores. Students will become familiar with the hazard and threat assessment process as well as the FBI Threat Credibility and Evaluation (TCE) call that takes place on scene and the role of the FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordinator (WMDC) during the incident. At the end of the course students will be evaluated with a written test and hands-on demonstration of sample collection techniques.