Hazardous Materials Advisor Initial Course

Six years on from the release of the UKFRS National Operational Guidance the importance of trained experienced officers is still paramount to dealing with specialist incidents. New energy technologies, net zero plans and alternatively fuelled vehicles mean that the rate of hazardous materials incidents is ever increasing and growing in complication; thus, each fire service must have officers who have completed and maintained accredited Hazardous Material Advisor (HMA) qualifications.   

The HMA initial course is a critical step in officer development and must be delivered by an accredited experienced provider across a 3-week programme to give the full qualification compliance with the National Operational Guidance, Foundation for Hazardous Materials.  

In recognition of the latest developments in the world of hazardous response incident management and in line with national guidance, the National Chemical Emergency Centre (NCEC) - operated by Ricardo in partnership with the UK Government Department for Transport - have updated the HMAI course for 2024. Delivered in partnership with the Fire Service College (FSC) and providing a world-class learning experience, at FSC facilities by Ricardo's renowned hazardous materials and chemical experts. 

The role of the HMA continues to evolve and is closely allied with other aspects of incident management, including environmental protection, detection, identification and monitoring and areas of national resilience, such as CBRN(e) and counter terrorism. In a multi-agency response situation, the HMA will perform a critical safety role in the integrated emergency management of an incident, whilst also being able to advise at incidents such as criminal activity, involving hazardous materials.

This course is one of the 'Open Programme' courses run in collaboration with the Fire Service College. The course content can be provided as privately run courses where organisations have a large number of trainees.