Establishment of the International CBRNE Institute

Hotzone Solutions has established the International CBRNe Institute (ICI) in partnership with the municipality of the town of Les Bons Villiers, Belgium.

The CBRNe expertise and knowledge of the ICI are aimed at assisting national as well as international experts, relevant international organizations and their staff members, and interested governments inadapting their doctrine through active risk management,reshaping or adapting CBRNe forces to become more flexible, responsive, multidisciplinary and multiagency.

The mission of the ICI is to provide basic and advanced awareness training courses on CBRNe matters as follows:

  • Preparedness of students for prior toxic entries in live agent training; No live agent training will be conducted at the ICI
  • Specialized courses and training for specialists at all levels and from various areas of expertise (police, fire brigade, emergency medical services, military personnel)
  • Training on Crisis-management operations for first responders
  • Training on toxic industrial material (TIM) and environmentally enhanced preparedness

The ICI experts will deliver specific courses and training for specialists, such as Sampling and Identification of Biological, Chemical, Radiological Agents (SIBCRA), Automated Data Processing (ADP), Warning and Reporting (W&R), Collective Protection (COLPRO), and Reconnaissance.

The objective of ICI is also to uphold a high level of knowledge within the CBRNe community by participating in international conferences and symposia. The ICI will also support International CBRNe master’s degree courses, which are coordinated and overseen by Hotzone Solutions,for high-level decision makers. Furthermore, the ICI will provide expertise to requesting governments.

Hotzone Solutions versus IB Consultancy court ruling

I would like to share with you the result of the Court ruling from a short proceeding: CATCH Project (Dutch project): Hotzone Solutions Benelux bv versus IB consultancy bv from 27th July 2012, Ref: case 42294 KGZA 12664,The Hague Tribunal.

The Dutch Court of Justice ruling was in full favor of Hotzone Solutions, IB consultancy bv has been ordered to pay immediately all due amounts, increased with statutory interest starting April 2012 and an amount fee for all the associated law costs. Since it’s a public paper, the judgment ruling is available upon request for the ones who wish to see it.

As the coordinator of the CATCH project, IB consultancy is responsible for the proper redistribution of the received funding to the other Consortium Members. Despite the Court judgment, IB is not willing to pay voluntarily since no money was received on the separate bank account from our lawyer (deadline was 30/07), the case is now in the hands of the bailiff who will execute the ruling.

Hotzone Solutions Group announces the formation of its Bio-Defence Scientific Advisory Council

Biological defence is concerned with a range of identification, preparedness and response capabilities and capacity building at both the civil and military level to protect from and counter the consequences of a biological attack.

Bio-defence includes a component of maintaining operability in a contaminated environment and involves assessing the scientific and technical means to ensure survivability and force protection. Recognising the need to increase both government- and military level preparedness to meet challenges posed by the threat of bioterrorism and warfare, Hotzone Solutions Group, as an aspect of its bio-defence and public health security portfolio, is convening a civil-military expert group.

The Bio-Defence Scientific Advisory Council will be launched in 2013 and convene twice a year, as a standing council of experts drawn from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the European Commission, the World Health Organisation, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States Army Medical Research Institute for infectious diseases (USAMRIID), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), National Reference Laboratories, and the global industry, as well as a host of international organizations and institutions.

The Advisory Council will draw upon Hotzone Solutions extensive experience in training civil defence, first responders and military personnel in the handling of live biological and chemical and nuclear agents. The Scientific Advisory Council will identify and define emerging science and security areas critical to bio-defence and public health security. Its reports will reflect current trends and provide analysis on, and recommendations for detection, preparedness, containment and response at the technical as well as medical-therapeutic level.

Participation in the Scientific Advisory Council will be by invitation only. The Council will convene in closed session during which, scientific experts will be presented with a number of core technical questions to consider. They will present their recommendations at the end of each session to key national level stakeholders.

Symposium panels will be structured around topics which will include but are not limited too: public health security, preparedness for mass casualty events, bio-terrorism, bio-warfare, medical and therapeutic counter-measures, detection technologies, threat reduction and stockpiling; with other topics of interest as requested by national stakeholders. The members of the Scientific Advisory Council will serve in their individual capacity as independent scientific or technical experts.

HZS new generation of CWA simulant

Austrian NBC defense has conducted extensive testing with our simulant and were very satisfied with the results concluding that HZS simulants fit perfectly their training requirement (detection and decontamination).

Dutch NBC defense used them during their last training with excellent results; they already initiate the procurement process. Numerous letters of interest for that new product has been received already.

We are now in discussion with the Dutch ministry of defense concerning the export license requirement and patent issues. We hope to be able to start the selling in the coming two months.