Hazardous Materials & Terrorism
Hazardous Materials and Terrorism are closely related in terms of response training and objectives. Those responders who are equipped to deal with hazardous materials, can effectively deal with acts of terrorism with some additional training. Training courses and books available on this site concentrate on a solid hazardous materials background with the addition of the necessary additional training to deal with terrorism.

Training materials available on this site have been purchased by the United States Secret Service, United States Capitol Police, Pennsylvania State Fire Academy, South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, Kentucky Emergency Management Agency, Michigan State Police Academy, Fairbanks Alaska Fire Department, Kansas State Fire Marshal's Office, West Virgina State Fire Marshal's Office, Oklahoma State University, Philadelphia, Pensylvania Fire Department, University of Arkansas, Arizona Department of Transportation, Detroit Fire Department, Los Angles County Fire Department, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, North Chicago, Illinois and many others in all 50 States and Canada.

About the Author


Robert Burke has developed all training materials advertised on this site, and authored all books. He has retired as Fire Marshal for the University of Maryland and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine with a bi-monthly column titled "Hazmat Studies",

Mr. Burke is an instructor at the National Fire Academy for the Chemistry of Hazardous Materials, Chemistry for Emergency Response, Hazardous Materials Incident Management (HMIM), Initial Response to Hazardous Materials Basic Concepts (IRHMI:BC), Initial Response to Hazardous Materials Concept Implementation (IRHMI:CI), and the Terrorism training programs Emergency Response to Terrorism Basic Concepts, Emergency Response to Terrorism Company Officer and Emergency Response to Terrorism Hazardous Materials.

Robert is retired as an adjunct facaulty member of the Community College of Baltimore County, Maryland and a retired Committee Member of NFPA 45, Fire Protection for Laboratories Using Chemicals. 


Robert Burke has over 30 years experience in the fire and emergency services as an assistant fire chief, lieutenant, firefighter, EMT, hazardous materials technician and specialist, training officer, and deputy state fire marshal. He is a Certified Fire Protection Specialist (CSPS), Nationally Certified Fire Investigator, Fire Inspector III, Fire Instructor III, Plans Examiner II, Hazardous Materials Specialist, and Hazardous Materials Incident Commander.

Mr. Burke has been a speaker at the Firehouse Expo in Baltimore , Maryland on numerous occasions, International Hazardous Materials Spills Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, HazMat Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Virginia Hazmat Conference and Expo in Virginia Beach, Virginia, EPA Regional Hazmat Conference in Norfolk, Virginia and many other local conferences and meetings.  Mr. Burke was the Keynote Instructor at the Western Canadian Hazardous Materials Conference in Saskatoon SK Canada on October 7, 2008. 

He has taught classes on hazardous materials and terrorism at the New York State Academy of Fire Science, Louisiana State University Firemen's Training School, Pennsylvania State Fire Academy, Arlington, Texas Fire Training Center, Michigan State Police Training Academy, Nebraska State Fire School, Wyoming State Fire School, North Dakota State Fire School, Kentucky State Fire School, Anne Arundel County Maryland Fire Training Center, Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, Anchorage, Alaska Fire Training Center, Honolulu Fire Department Training Center and other locations in 36 States and Canada. 

He has received two Governor's Citations from the State of Maryland, recieved the Boots Rainer Memorial Award from the Anne Arundel County Fire Department and has been designated an Honorary Citizen of the State of Oklahoma, a Kentucky Colonel by the Govenor of Kentucky, and an Admiral in the Great Navy of the State of Nebraska.   Information: robert.burke@windstream.net