Mass Disaster and Post Bomb Blast Scene Recovery Class

Course Summary: The goal of the course is to provide participants with a working knowledge of how to conduct the most efficient and effective processing of a large-scale disaster scene involving multiple human victims. Nationally-recognized standards (Weldon Spring and Clarence Center Protocols) developed, tested, and published by the course directors will be presented and demonstrated. The course will begin with a history of past recovery efforts at incidents such as the USAir Flight 427, ColganAir Flight 3407, and United Flight 93 (9/11), followed by an in-depth discussion of prioritization of the various types of evidence associated with these incidents and scenes. Considerable time will be spent demonstrating and utilizing the multiple levels of scene mapping equipment including electronic total stations, high-end GPS units, 3D scanners, and mapping and documentation drones. A mock scene involving the detonation of a vehicle with animal proxies within will serve the purpose of allowing participants to implement all protocols and techniques discussed through the use of all mapping and documentation equipment in order to process the large-scale disaster scene.

Course Participants: Individuals over 21yrs of age, fire fighters, law enforcement, jurisprudence, Natural Sciences graduate students.

Primary Course Instructors: Dennis C. Dirkmaat, Ph.D., D-ABFA; Michael J. Hochrein (FBI, ret), and Ryan Morris, CEO of Tripwire Operations Group, LLC