CBRNE Up to Standards

In an incident involving CBRNE (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive agents or weapons) first responders need adequate protection so they can help victims without becoming victims themselves. Two years prior to the September 2001 attacks on the United States, the Federal Government initiated a program to coordinate the development and implementation of standards and testing programs for the protective equipment emergency responders needs in incidents involving CBRNE devices. The U.S. Office of Justice Programs' National Institute of Justice (NIJ) was directed by Congress to do this work. NIJ funded the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES) to do the work. Today, the program has been transferred to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The program strives to establish minimum standards of performance, quality, and reliability, and then test equipment to determine if it complies with the standards. In 2002, it was incorporated into the OLES' Critical Incident Technologies Program.