Armenian Rescuers Taught to Counteract Weapons of Mass Destruction

PanARMENIAN.Net - A team of emergency response experts and hazardous materials specialists from the U.S. Department of Defense and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is in Yerevan to conduct a realistic two-day training scenario October 17-18, 2006. This training scenario, which takes place at the Emergency Management Academy and involves a simulated Weapons of Mass Destruction incident, is the culminating event in a series of courses taught by this team in Armenia over the past few years under the U.S. Department of Defense International Counter-proliferation Program. During this visit, the team also is providing training for representatives from the Armenian Rescue Service, the Ministry of Defense and the Republic of Armenia Police on the use of detection and monitoring equipment, as well as evidence collection equipment. This equipment was part of a U.S. Government equipment donation to the Government of Armenia in July that totaled more than $300,000.