Prepared Response

CBRN response teams require modern equipment and training.

- Mike Rajkumar

First responders and security professionals have the unenviable job of often being the first trained specialists to reach the scene of a terrorist attack or suspected Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) attacks or HAZMAT accidents. In crowded urban areas with large populations, such an incident has the potential to spiral out of control if a quick and correct assessment of the situation and the type of attack/incident that has occurred is not made. Keeping these requirements in mind and the threats posed to Indian cities and critical infrastructure there is now growing awareness on the need to invest in the procurement of state-of the-art detection and protection gear for such events. Enhanced training for first responders, security professionals and medical personnel is another area where increasing efforts are being made to increase the pool of trained manpower.

The major players in the CBRN defence market are FLIR Systems, Inc. (US), Chemring Group PLC (UK), Bruker Corporation (US), Smiths Group plc. (UK), and Argon Electronics (UK), Avon Protection Systems (US), Thales Group (France) and this market is projected to grow from $14.68 billion in 2016 to $19.15 billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 4.65 per cent from 2017 to 2022. India will remain a growing and important market as it faces threats from terrorist groups, and hostile neighbouring countries. According to a 2017 report by Research and Markets on the CBRN defence market, “The chemical segment is estimated to account for the largest share in the CBRN defence market in 2017 and is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The main users of chemical defence equipment include first responders in the police, fire safety department, and Hazmat safety officers in the commercial and civil sectors. Military users include CBRN response teams in armed forces.’’