Defence CBRN Centre The Defence CBRN Centre is a UK government facility based at Winterbourne Gunner in Wiltshire , south of Porton Down . It is a tri - service location , with the RAF being the lead service . It is responsible for all training issues relating to CBRN ( chemical , biological , radiological and nuclear events ) warfare for the UK armed forces . It is also the home of the Department of Health ' s Hazardous Area Response ( HART ) training facility . It was the home of the UK Police National CBRN Centre until it moved to NPIA facilities at Ryton . History . The site was established as an element of the Porton Down research facility in 1917 . Known as Porton South Camp it served as a Trench Mortar experimental site . Reducing in scale immediately following the cessation of hostilities in 1918 , research into chemical weapons and defence recommenced in 1921 , with South Camp becoming the Chemical Warfare School in 1926 . In 1931 the site became part of the Small Arms School as the Anti - Gas Wing . It would later become an independent entity , in 1939 , as the Army Gas School , later Army School of Chemical Warfare . Until 1947 the establishment was operated purely by the Army , becoming a joint Army and Royal Air Force establishment at this point . The emergence of a nuclear weapon s threat led to the inclusion of radiological defence into the portfolio . In 1964 the biological threat was included into the operation of the centre , becoming the Defence Nuclear , Biological and Chemical School . In 1999 the RAF took over the operation of the site , following the 1997 decision that they became the lead service for NBC training . A full refurbishment of the site completed in 2005 with the legacy WWI accommodation being fully replaced by a modernised training facility used by all three services . DCBRNC courses . The Defence CBRN ( Chemical , Biological , Radiological and Nuclear ) School is the instructional element of the CBRN centre . Its mission is to deliver the UK ’ s CBRN Defence Training for Operations on land . CBRN Defence Advisors ' course . The 10 - day CBRN Defence Advisors ' is aimed at military officers within a battlegroup or unit who have responsibility to assist / advice the commander in the planning and execution of CBRN measures and unit CBRN training , or who fill CBRN staff appointments . The course is to train CBRN Defence Advisors operating at battlegroup or deployed at an operating base at Staff Officer level . CBRN Defence Senior Officers ' symposium . The CBRN Defence Senior Officers ' Symposium is split into 3 main forums concentrating on the UK ' s CBRN defence capabilitiesthe , threat andcountering the threat . CBRN Defence Cell Controller . This is a course for military personnel who manage and carry out the functions of CBRN Warning & Reporting and Collection Centres in line with Allied / NATO standers This task includes dealing with CBRN data , interpreting that information and issuing subsequent reports on the threat . The emphasis of the course is on the automated plotting of threats . GSR Conversion course . This 5 - day course will allow existing CBRN defence instructors to fit , test and maintain the new General Service Respirator and operate the Advanced Respirator Testing System . CBRN Defence Trainer course . This course aims at providing military personnel with the knowledge and skills to conduct and deliver instruction and testing on MATT 4 / CCS . It incorporates instruction on the GSR . Depending on their training requirements , individuals can apply for the course alone or apply for both the Defence Trainer and Defence Operational Instructor courses CBRN Defence Operational Instructor course . This course is aimed at providing military personnel with the knowledge and skills to conduct unit instruction in CBRN incident response . CBRN Defence Equipment Manager ’ s course . This course is intended for civilian and military stores staff who are responsible for storage , maintenance and management of CBRN defence equipment . CBRN Defence Casualty Decontamination Area course . This course is designed to train military band personnel ( who in war are stretcher bearers ) to perform casualty decontamination in a CBRN environment . CBRN Medical . The Defence CBRN Centre is the home of the Joint CBRN Medical Faculty . The centre provides CBRN medical training to all medical officers in the UK Armed forces and courses are available to NATO / Allied Nations . As well as military training , Defence CBRN Centre also supports civilian response in partnership with the Health Protection Agency . The Joint CBRN Medical Faculty supports CBRN medical doctrine development , training and curriculum development and SME support to defence research programmes working closely with partners in the health sector . CBRN medical centre . The Joint CBRN medical supports the medical response to a CBRN incident and the management of CBRN casualties . It is a cross - government group with the remit under the surgeon general to develop CBRN clinical guidance , medical training and research . according to the websiteto the CBRN clinical training objectives are to : " manage any CBRN casualties including trauma , manage the medical aspects of a CBRN incident , treat chemical casualties , treat biological casualties including sepsis , treat radiological casualties including nuclear , The principles of CBRN casualty management are : recognition , safety , First Aid , triage , quick look , life saving interventions , casualty hazard management , supportive management , definitive management CBRN Emergency Medical Treatment ( Medical Officer ) course . The Emergency Medical Treatment course is a 3 - day course developed to provide military doctors with an awareness of the effects of CBRN agents and teach the competencies to provide Role 1 CBRN casualty management . CBRN Clinical course . The CBRN Clinical course is designed to train Role 1 ( pre - hospital ) , 2 ( hospital ) and 3 ( medical , nursing and allied health ) professionals in the recognition and treatment of all casualties in a CBRN environment through to Role 3 advanced medical care including critical care . This course supports the military competencies for Emergency Medicine , Acute Medicine , Intensive Care and specialist nurse training . Defence Medic CBRN course . The Defence Medic CBRN course is designed to train Role 1 ( pre - hospital ) medics in the recognition and treatment of all casualties in a CBRN environment . This course supports includes advanced first aid in the hot zone , emergency medical treatment and casualty decontamination . Technical Support Group . The DCBRNC Technical Support Group provides an external training and trials functions . The TSG External Training Team provides all 3 Services with their CBRN defence training , inspecting CBRN defence training at unit level . The External Training Team Mission is to facilitate CBRN Defence competence in units by providing External CBRN Technical Support through all phases of the training cycle . Secondly , the Trials part of TSG helps the development of Joint Service CBRN defence equipment and procedures , supporting the CBRN Delivery Team and DES . Recent trials have seen the team contribute to Light Role Teams , G . S . R . and the ARTS system