In the initial stages of response to a weapons of mass destruction incident, the dispatch center plays a crucial role in the success or failure of an emergency operation. “The Dispatcher’s Guide for WMD Incidents” helps dispatchers to ask the right questions so that they can obtain vital information to pass along to the Incident Commander and first responders.

The guide was written by the Department of Defense and the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center with participation by nearly a dozen fire departments, 911 centers and law enforcement agencies, according to a Critical Information Protection Infogram from the Department of Homeland Security.

The guide provides checklists for WMD incidents and can be integrated into large and small dispatch centers. View or download the guide online at www.edgewood.army.mil/hld/dl/WMD_DISPATCH.pdf .