The Lock Drill – Hands-on HazMat drill scenarios

Dexterity, Air Management, Communication, and PPE Familiarization

Locks, Low Air, and Level A make for a great training day!

There is no excuse not to get out and train.  Put this drill together with items you already have at the station.  Please keep it simple, fun, and challenging.  Our best drills always have a competitiveness level so that we can compare times with the other shifts!

Equipment needed:  Locks and keys, chains, nuts and bolts, Legos – whatever you have, as long as there is a match for the pieces being connected.  Avoid sharp surfaces but vary the sizes.  

Drill:  Students will either lock and unlock or screw or unscrew bolts and locks.  It is important to be clear what is desired as the following instructions are as important as the dexterity portion.

Difficulty Level: You can challenge your operators by having them perform this on-air under stress at the end of another evolution.   This drill can be performed with just gloves for beginners to hazmat ops learning the difference in dexterity with PPE.  Another great approach is to combine communications, especially if in suit communications systems are used, to give directions as to which locks or bolts to use.  For the most challenging drill, use low light, loud background noises (I like Metallica), and low-air!

Also, check out an easy to make leak prop here!

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