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Mission-Specific Competencies: Response To Illicit Laboratories

This document discusses responding to illicit laboratories and outlines objectives around recognizing laboratories, identifying hazards, securing sites, and coordinating response efforts. Illicit labs pose dangers from their materials, operators, and processing methods. Responders must balance life-saving efforts with their own safety by identifying hazards, preserving evidence, and properly coordinating decontamination.

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benon
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87 views34 pages

Mission-Specific Competencies: Response To Illicit Laboratories

This document discusses responding to illicit laboratories and outlines objectives around recognizing laboratories, identifying hazards, securing sites, and coordinating response efforts. Illicit labs pose dangers from their materials, operators, and processing methods. Responders must balance life-saving efforts with their own safety by identifying hazards, preserving evidence, and properly coordinating decontamination.

Uploaded by

benon
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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13

Mission-Specific
Competencies:
Response to
Illicit
Laboratories
13

Objectives (1 of 4)
• Understand the role that all first
responders have when encountering an
illicit laboratory
• Describe how to recognize an illicit
laboratory
13

Objectives (2 of 4)
• Identify the manufacturing process and
common chemical hazards associated
with methamphetamine production
• Identify the different law enforcement
agencies that could be involved in an
investigation of an illicit laboratory
13

Objectives (3 of 4)
• Understand the tactical considerations of
securing an illicit laboratory while utilizing
joint hazardous materials and explosive
ordnance disposal (EOD) personnel to
assess potential hazards
13

Objectives (4 of 4)
• Describe the key concepts to be taken into
consideration when analyzing, planning,
and implementing a response to an
incident involving an illicit laboratory
13

Illicit Laboratories
• Unlicensed or illegal
• Can be in building or vehicle
• Manufacture, process, culture, synthesize
– Illegal drugs
– Hazardous material/WMD devices
– Chemical or biological agents
13

Identifying Illicit Laboratories (1 of 3)


• Methamphetamine production common
• Materials often illegally obtained
– Tip off police about possible location
– But sometimes first discovered by responders
• Drug laboratories often run by drug users
– Use caution with these individuals
13

Identifying Illicit Laboratories (2 of 3)


• Basements with unusual or multiple vents
• Buildings with heavy security
• Windows obscured
• Odd or unusual odors
• Motor homes are sometimes used
13

Identifying Illicit Laboratories (3 of 3)

Motor homes are often used as mobile cooking


laboratories.
13

Drug Laboratories (1 of 2)
• Typically very primitive
• Everyday cookware among items used
• Many hazards present
• Little caution exercised by operators
13

Drug Laboratories (2 of 2)

Materials used to manufacture drugs include items


such as laboratory glassware and tubing.
13

Methamphetamine (1 of 4)
• Can be produced by various methods
• Chemicals used also have legitimate uses
13

Methamphetamine (2 of 4)
13

Methamphetamine (3 of 4)
• Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine tablets
often present
• Ground in household blenders
13

Methamphetamine (4 of 4)

Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, available at many


pharmacies, are ground in household blenders as the
first step in methamphetamine production.
13
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Laboratories (1 of 3)
• Indicators
– Terrorist training manuals
– Ideological propaganda
– Surveillance materials
– Weapon supplies
13
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Laboratories (2 of 3)

Detonating cords may look like rescue rope to an uninformed


responder.
13
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Laboratories (3 of 3)
• Explosive materials present may be
dangerous
– Notify explosive ordnance disposal (EOD)
personnel
• Operators of laboratory are also
dangerous
13

Chemical Laboratories (1 of 2)
• Can manufacture chemical warfare agents
– Sulfur mustard
– Blood agents such as cyanide
– Choking agents such as chlorine
13

Chemical Laboratories (2 of 2)
• Legitimate or improvised laboratory
equipment
• Extremely dangerous chemicals
– Precursor agents
– Finished agents
13

Biological Laboratories
• Bacterial agents (such as anthrax)
• Fungal agents
• Viral agents (such as Ebola)
• Toxins (such as ricin or botulinum)
• Just as dangerous as chemical
laboratories
13

Tasks and Operations (1 of 2)


• WMD laboratories rare, but present, in
U.S.
• Illicit drug laboratories common
• Mines may protect perimeter
13

Tasks and Operations (2 of 2)

Mines have been used to provide perimeter defense


around the outside of laboratories.
13

Notifying Authorities
• When laboratory is identified
– Establish perimeter
– Notify local law enforcement agency
• Joint agencies may be involved
• Secure and preserve the scene
13

Determining Response Options


• Do not delay
– Life-saving operations
– Fire suppression
• When scene stabilizes, consider response
actions to be taken next
13

Securing and Preserving the Scene


• Minimize number of responders allowed
into the illicit laboratory
• Confinement/containment of toxic waste
13

Documenting Scene Activities


• IC (or designee) should identify every
– Responder
– Victim
– Witness
• Photos, sketches, notes
13

Personal Protective Equipment


• Responders should wear appropriate PPE
• Selection based on:
– Detection and sampling results
– Indicators observed on scene
13

Detection Devices (1 of 2)
• Police rarely equipped with these
• Potentially flammable atmosphere
dangerous with muzzle blast
13

Detection Devices (2 of 2)
• Devices
– Oxygen monitoring device
– Combustible gas indicator
– Radiation detection device
– pH paper
– Photo-ionization detector (PID)
13

Decontamination
• Areas and equipment established before
responder entry
• Suspects, too, will need decontamination
• Also SWAT, EOD, forensic, canine teams
13

Remediation Efforts
• Management of illicit lab may be long term
• Evidence collection can take time
• Remediation may involve technical
decontamination
• May include removal of a structure or soil
13

Summary (1 of 2)
• The need for life-saving and fire
suppression should be weighed against
hazards posed to responders by illicit
laboratories
• Illicit laboratories can involve a variety of
processing methods
13

Summary (2 of 2)
• Materials and operators pose hazard to
responders
• Early identification of hazards is important
• Evidence should be preserved
• Coordination, documentation, and
decontamination are important

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