Security research
Chemical Protection
Main tasks:
- scientific-research activity focused on development of chemical survey and laboratory control within the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic and chemical measures for the population protection;
- pedagogical activity focused on chemical measures
Scientific research activity
Aim of scientific-research activity:
- development of methods and means of detection, characterization, identification and determination of dangerous substances, including chemical warfare substances in case of their uncontrolled release into the environment or terrorist abuse;
- interpretation of measured data focused on recommendations for minimizing or eliminating the consequences of leakage.
Focus of scientific research activities:
In accordance with needs of ensuring chemical safety of the Czech Republic, the population and intervening units of the fire service in event of an accidental leakage or terrorist abuse of a dangerous chemical substance, including a chemical warfare agent, scientific research is focused on 4 areas:
1. Means and procedures of chemical research and field analysis
2. Development of laboratory methods for analysis of hazardous chemicals
3. Development and verification of detoxification substances, means and methods
4. Minimizing consequences of abuse of highly toxic substances in public objects
Objectives of scientific research activity:
- Research of sampling procedures and means.
- Modernization of a mobile chemical laboratory.
- Validation and elaboration of methods for identification and determination of chemical warfare and other dangerous substances using the instrumentation of the Institute of Population Protection and chemical laboratories of regional fire brigades.
- Development and elaboration of methods for identification of special analytes.
- Research into procedures for the identification of flammable liquids in samples from the fire site as potential combustion accelerators in context of the fire causes investigation.
- Research into methods for determining the effectiveness of decontamination mixtures and methods on surfaces contaminated with chemical warfare agents and procedures for determining their degradation effectiveness.
- Research of methods and principles of population protection in abuse of chemical warfare agents in public objects.
- Task provision and development of the accredited chemical laboratory in accordance with ČSN 17025.
Development of chemical survey in the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic
- development of simple tests for detection, resolution and characterization of selected groups of hazardous substances in field conditions;
- applications of use of hazardous substances detectors;
- testing and expanding possibilities of using analysers of hazardous substances by creating libraries and self-calibration.
Development of laboratory control in the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic
- a unique set of methods for analysis of chemical warfare agents by biochemical reaction, photometry, extraction spectrophotometry, potentiometry, volumetric analysis, gas, liquid and thin layer chromatography, infrared and mass spectrometry;
- continuous addition of own software "Methodology of photometric determination of hazardous substances FOTMET" containing a database of 100 work procedures for determination of 360 hazardous substances by photometric method
- identification of hazardous substances by FTIR method - identification of petroleum substances, measurement of diffusion reflectance, creation of own libraries and algorithms identification, etc .;
- identification of hazardous substances based on physical and physio-chemical constants that can be easily determined in the laboratory - creating specific own program for searching for substances based on measured constants, such as boiling point, melting point, refractive index, density, etc.
Development of chemical measures for population protection
- emergency concentrations of hazardous substances
- assessment of radiation and chemical situation in accordance with the procedures of NATO member states
- modelling of hazardous substances spread in operational accidents
Pedagogical activity
The aim of pedagogical activities is preparation, pedagogical provision and professional management of the retraining course "Accident with leakage of hazardous substances", accredited by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
Content of the retraining course "Accident with leakage of dangerous substances":
Hazardous substances
- Definition of the term dangerous substance: legal regulations, Act No. 157/1998 Coll. and No. 19/1997 Coll.
- Physical, physico-chemical and chemical properties of substances.
- Main hazardous effects of hazardous substances in an accident: definition of the main hazardous effects, explosiveness, flammability, toxicity, priority hazardous effect, toxic properties of selected substances.
- Expression of concentrations of hazardous substances: units of concentrations, toxicological concentrations, permissible concentrations, emergency concentrations.
Accident with leakage of hazardous substances
- Characteristics of accidents with the release of hazardous substances: definition of basic terms, the most common causes, immediate consequences and phenomena, characteristic external manifestations, a brief description of the most important accidents.
- Theory of the spread of hazardous substances in the air: the source of the discharge of hazardous substances, meteorological parameters, areas of lethal and injuring effects, the LEAKS program, the model of evaporation of volatile liquids from a liquid puddle.
- Peculiarities of oil accidents: characteristics and properties of oil products, oil accidents on the water surface, oil accidents on the earth's surface.
Some measures to prevent accidents with release of hazardous substances
- Types of preventive measures: importance and general division of preventive measures, external preventive measures, internal preventive measures.
- Principles of dangerous substances transport: basic legal regulations, classification of hazardous substances and objects, labelling of means of transport, transport documents.
- Labelling of hazardous substances: division of labelling systems, UN-system (orange warning label), warning signs, HAZCHEM code, DIAMANT system, R-phrases and S-phrases, some registration labelling systems.
- Emergency planning
Chemical measures to minimize accident consequences
- Chemical survey and laboratory control.
- Sampling and treatment of samples.
- Use of personal protective equipment.
- Hygienic cleaning and decontamination.
- Liquidation of oil accidents.
- Information security.
- Further measures.