U. S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office for Domestic Preparedness

Domestic Preparedness

Fact Sheet

November 1 , 2001

Domestic Preparedness Equipment Technical Assistance Program

(DPETAP)

Delivered by Pine Bluff Arsenal (PBA), through General Physics Corporation

Program Description

In partnership with the United States Army’s

Pine Bluff Arsenal (PBA), the Department of

Defense’s (DoD) center of expertise for

chemical and biological defensive equipment

production and support, the Office for

Domestic Preparedness (ODP) has

established a comprehensive, national

equipment technical assistance program for

emergency responders.

The Domestic Preparedness Equipment

Technical Assistance Program (DPETAP)

assists responders to better select, operate,

and maintain their radiological, chemical and

biological detection and response equipment

by providing detailed technical information

and hands-on equipment operations and

maintenance training.

DPETAP Mobile Technical Assistance

Teams provide, at no cost to the jurisdiction,

on-site technical assistance and training to

assist emergency response personnel in the

operation and maintenance of their domestic

preparedness detection equipment.

Eligibility

This program is offered to any jurisdiction

which has received funding from the Office

for Justice Programs to purchase domestic

preparedness equipment. Assistance is

targeted towards emergency response

personnel in the following disciplines:

• Hazardous Materials Teams

(HAZMAT)

• Firefighters

• Law Enforcement

• Emergency Medical Services

• Environmental Health;

and who have responsibility for:

• training

• equipment operation

• equipment maintenance 

• surveying

• data logging and/or data correlation

Each jurisdiction will determine its program

participants.

Courses Offered

DPETAP offers a total of 20 courses and

exercises that range from 45 minutes to three

hours in length. A course certificate is issued

for each completed course. Courses include:

WMD Detection Technologies: This 3-hour

course covers detection technologies

primarily associated with Weapons of Mass

Destruction (WMD); the capabilities and

limitations of these technologies; the types of

equipment that employ these technologies;

and the chemical, biological, and

nuclear/radiological material that can be

detected. This course is designed as a

refresher for personnel having prior

knowledge of WMD related detection

technologies. This course is a prerequisite
for attendance in all other DPETAP courses.

The optimal class size for this course is 12-

24 responders, however additional

responders may be accommodated with prior

arrangement.

Operation and Maintenance (O&M)

Courses: These 1 to 3 hour, hands-on

courses cover the capabilities and limitations,

pre-operation, operation, preventive and

corrective maintenance of the following

detection equipment:

• Draeger Civil Defense System

• Photo Ionization Detector MiniRAE

Plus

• Ludlum Model 2241-2 Emergency

(Radiological) Response Kit

• Chemical Detector APD2000

• Chemical Agent Detector SAW

Minicad mkll

• Chemical Agent Detection MaterialsM8, M9, and M256A1 Kit

• CAM Chemical Agent Monitor

(w/PLUS S/W)

• Photo Ionization Detector (PID)

Passport PID ll

• Multi-Gas Meter Passport FiveStar

Alarm

• Bio-Assay (SMART) Tickets

• MultiRAE Plus Multi-Gas Meter w/PID

• Photo Ionization Detector (PID) 2000

These courses are designed for emergency

response personnel having training,

equipment operation and/or maintenance

responsibilities. To enhance the learning

environment class size for each of these

courses is restricted to 6 to 12 responders

per course.

Tabletop Practical Exercises: The DPETAP

program offers four 45-minute exercise

scenarios tailored to the relevant threat

applicable to the jurisdiction. These practical

exercises present responders with potential

WMD event scenarios that require teams to

evaluate conditions, determine the most

effective detection equipment for use for the

situtation, and how to employ the selected

equipment. Upon completion of the exercise

scenario the teams present their findings to

the class. A group “hot wash” and

discussions follow the team presentations.

These exercises are presented on the last

day of training and are designed for all

personnel who have attended the courses

previously presented during the technical

assistance visit. To enhance the learning

environment class size for each of these

courses is restricted to 6 to 12 responders

per course.

Scheduling of a DPETAP Technical

Assistance Visit (TAV)

To schedule a TAV contact the following

personnel:

Gil Wendt, Project Manager

(757) 428-6251

(757) 636-9875, Cell

(757) 428-6251, FAX

gwendt@genphysics.com o r

gilwendt@aol.com

Chris Foreman, Logistics Support Supervisor

(870) 540-2366

(501) 349-5781, Cell

(870) 540-2350, FAX

cforeman@genphysics.com

For More Information

For more information concerning DPETAP,

information on WMD detection equipment,

and other detection equipment technologies,

you may contact the DPETAP Helpline at 1-

800-232-5741. The Helpline is staffed

Monday through Friday from 8:00am to

5:00pm CST, and is available to answer

questions regarding detection equipment

costs, operational capabilities of detection

equipment, and repair and maintenance of

detection equipment. 

You may also learn more about other ODP

programs by visiting the ODP website at

www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp