Download Technical Update

Technical Update
Volume 7, Number 28
August 27, 2003
Methamphetamine lab awareness and safety
training for county employees
The number of methamphetamine labs is rapidly
increasing in rural areas of the Western United States,
including Colorado. As a result, more people are at risk
of being exposed to the toxic wastes produced by those
labs. In one estimate, 6 pounds of waste is generated for
each pound of methamphetamine produced.
Furthermore, methamphetamine labs can explode if the
ingredients are overheated during the production process,
endangering additional people.
Would you recognize a drug laboratory?
The Colorado Regional Community Policing Institute
(CRCPI) and the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug
Trafficking Area (HIDTA) have teamed up to offer two
free courses to counties to help employees recognize and
safely respond to clandestine methamphetamine drug
labs. The classes are:
• Clandestine Laboratory Awareness Course (4 hours)
• First Responders Operations Course (8 hours)
Clandestine Laboratory Awareness Course
This 4-hour course is designed to teach county
employees about the dangers associated with illegal drug
laboratories. These labs pose a significant threat to a
variety of people beyond the emergency response
community.
A Colorado Department of Transportation employee was
disabled for a month after breathing methamphetamine
fumes from a trash receptacle. Highway workers picking
up roadside trash sometimes find discarded “death bags”
filled with poisonous gases and other wastes left over
from making methamphetamine.
County employees who work in the field—such as social
services employees, assessors, health department
employees, and road and bridge personnel—may be at
increased risk of exposure to drug labs and can benefit
from this presentation.
First Responders Operations Course
The first responders operations course is designed for
emergency service first responders. The majority of
clandestine drug labs are discovered by patrol officers,
line firefighters, and ambulance EMT personnel. This
course is designed to teach first responders to:
• Recognize a drug lab
• Understand the lab hazards
• Implement appropriate actions
These on-site classes are available to counties at no
charge for groups of 20 or more. To schedule a class,
call your CTSI loss prevention representative at
303-861-0507.
Sources: Colorado Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal
Justice; The Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas
(HIDTA); and the Colorado Regional Community Policing Institute
(CRCPI)
County Technical Services, Inc.
1700 Broadway, Suite 1512
Denver CO 80290
Technical Updates are available online at: www.ctsi.org
303.861.0507
FAX: 303.861.2832