DoD certifies N.H. Guard emergency team

The Department of Defense has certified a Concord-based National Guard emergency team, which is equipped with technologies to detect chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.

Two teams, dubbed Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Teams – one based in Concord, the other in South Burlington, Vt. — were certified this month, bringing the national count of such teams to a total of 47.

The teams, which are under the command of state governors, are designed to make quick detection assessments, decontamination recommendations and plume projections in response to events ranging from terrorist attacks to chemical plant spills.

Congress has approved the creation of 55 teams, and the remaining eight are scheduled to be certified by September 2007.