Hazardous Materials Hotline©
August 14, 2026
Upcoming Training and Educational Opportunities
The last quarter of 2026 and going into 2027, there are a number of training and educational opportunities available. The Continuing Challenge kicks off with Virginia closely following and CHEMTREC bringing their international summit to Nashville to round out the month. October brings us the HotZone Conference, Indiana Hazardous Materials Conference, IAEM Annual Conference, and the NASTTPO Mid-Year Workshop. In November, we slide into the holiday season with the HMIC Conference in Savanah GA. The New Year kicks off with the Florida Hazardous Materials Symposium and the Incident Management Teams Association is coming to “The Sweetest Place on Earth” in February.
Discussion: Training and education provide long-term benefits to individuals and communities and conferences where travel is involved provide unique experiences, exposure to different perspectives, and the opportunity to diversify your professional network.
Scholarship News
While the scholarship application for financial assistance to attend the HIMC conference has closed, hazardous materials responders from Maryland can apply for a $1,500 scholarship to help defray the cost of attending the Florida Hazardous Materials Teams Symposium in January. The Yvorra Leadership Development Foundation is also providing scholarships, with the application period open through October 30.
Discussion: The HEAT Scholarship program continues to grow as they attempt to help hazardous materials responders gain training and education to enhance their capabilities and improve their organizations and the Yvorra Leadership Development Foundation continues as the gold standard for providing support for emerging leaders.
CSB News
The Chemical Safety Board has released its Final Report on an oven gas explosion at the US Steel Clairton Coke Works and an investigation update on a fatal hydrogen sulfide release in West Virginia
Discussion: CSB investigations and reports remain an effective means of reducing risk and supporting training and education for response and industry personnel.
Federal Partners Roundtable Report
PHMSA has released the findings of the 2026 Federal Partners Roundtable Report.
Discussion: The Roundtable continues to identify and make suggestions to address gaps and needs of the hazardous materials community.
Items of Interest
Other articles of interest include an article examining the state of counter-WMD efforts in the US, a report of an emerging virus that is sickening cattle in Europe, the impact of a neglected Soviet bioweapons facility, ICC working to address Li-Ion battery concerns, the FIREESCOPE quarterly brief, an HDIAC primer on nerve agents, information from the IAFC Hazardous Materials Committee, a paper from the UK Resilience Academy on Wargaming for Resilience, and a safety advisory from the IAFF.
Discussion: Emergency responders and planners should continually scan for information that is relevant to their mission. While not all readers are leaders, all leaders are readers.
Chemical of the Week and IAB Podcast
The InterAgency Board continues to host the chemical of the week and bi-monthly podcasts, along with the Hazardous Materials Hot Line archive. They make for great training and situational awareness.
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About the Author:
Dave Donohue is a hazardous materials course developer, educator, and trainer with experience at the local, regional and national level. He is also a Master Exercise Practitioner, firefighter, and emergency manager.
