Jane's Chem-Bio Handbook [Spiral-bound]

Frederick R. Sidell (Author), William C. Patrick (Author), Thomas R. Dashiell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1998

"Jane's Chem-Bio Handbook: International" has been developed by experts from the fire and police services, as well as from the military. Considering and addressing the needs of UK and international first-responders, this comprehensive pocket guide details the range of critical planning and response procedures for a chem-bio incident. Fundamental on-scene procedural information ensures international first-responders have the resources necessary in planning for, responding to and managing the aftermath of a chem-bio incident. Customization of handbooks, for quantities of 500 or more, is available to allow you to integrate the expertise of Jane's information with your organization's details. Based on the "Jane's Chem-Bio Handbook: Second Edition", the "Jane's Chem-Bio Handbook: International" is a comprehensive pocket guide detailing the range of critical planning and response procedures for a chem-bio incident.

--This text refers to an alternate Spiral-bound edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

For related information see: Jane's Chem-Bio Web, Jane's Chemical-Biological Defense Guidebook and other Jane's Public Safety Series handbooks.

Customisation of handbooks for quantities of 500 or more is available to allow you to integrate the expertise of Jane's information with your organisation's details. Bulk pricing is also available through your local Jane's representative. --This text refers to an alternate Spiral-bound edition.

From the Inside Flap

Indicators of Possible CW Use
Unusual Dead or Dying Animals: Lack of insects
Unexplained Casualties: Mulitple victims; Serious illnesses; Nausea, disorientation, breathing difficulty, convulsions; Definite casualty patterns
Unusual Liquid, Spray or Vapor: Droplets, oily film; Unexplained odor; Low flying clouds/fog unrelated to weather
Suspicious Devices/Packages: Unusual metal debris; Abandoned spray devices; unexplained munitions

Indicators of Possible BW Use
Unusual Dead or Dying Animals: Sick or dying animals, people or fish
Unusual Casualties: Unusual illness for region/area; Definite pattern inconsistent with natural disease
Unusual Liquid, Spray or Vapor: Spraying and suspicious devices or packages
Unusual Swarms of Insects --This text refers to an alternate Spiral-bound edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 298 pages
• Publisher: Jane's Information Group (February 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0710619235
• ISBN-13: 978-0710619235
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,564,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tries to be all things..., May 14, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Jane's Chem-Bio Handbook (Spiral-bound)

and falls short. Jane's Chem-Bio Handbook is much improved over the freebie notepad version they gave out a few years back, but it suffers from a lack of focus. The small size, spiral binding, and tabs suggest it is intended as a first responder or incident commander handbook, but occasional topical discourses suggest that it is meant as a textbook. As a result, it is hard to find the information that would be needed on the scene (an index helps, but only slightly), while the coverage of the various topics is too uneven for it to be a good text. In some places, it seems to be simply a compilation of information from various (US) field manuals.

There are some good ideas, but they seem to be sabotaged by the execution. The checklist version of the "Agent Indicator Matrix" (based on the Defense Protective Service model) is a good idea, but it is spread over three pages (instead of being arranged to fit on two facing pages in a landscape presentation or provided as a foldout) so that it can neither be copied easily or used easily in the book. A section on the threat of stolen military munitions, after noting that stockpiles in other countries are not as well secured as those in the US, then proceeds to a description of US weapons without describing distinguishing characteristics of chemical munitions relative to conventional munitions or how the munitions described might relate to foreign munitions.

There are also some surprising errors in the hodgepodge of facts. The volume I purchased indicates that it is from the sixth printing, so I have to presume that most typos have been corrected. One particularly egregious error is in the characterization of liquid phosgene as "...not hazardous except as a source of vapor." This statement is highlighted in a little box with a finger pointing at it on page 106, and repeated on page 108. While certainly it is the vapor that kills, liquid phosgene splashed into the eyes is known to produce opacification. Subsequently, it is stated that "Phosgene [vapor] does not damage the eyes or skin..." Yet it is well known that concentrated phosgene vapor will irritate both the skin and eyes, and, while this would not be fatal, and is usually not permanent the downplaying of these risks is certainly inappropriate, to put it mildly.

To try to close on a positive note, this book does have some good information salted in various odd spots. If you are responsible for a training program, it would be a good book for you to look at, provided it is not the only reference you use. The table of emergency decontamination materials found at a K-Mart, for instance, suggests an obvious bit of homework for your trainees.

In summary, this handbook should not be your first or only purchase, but it probably has a place in a comprehensive library. Given the reputation of Jane's, a bit more proofreading would have been in order.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written, portable, multi-purpose, February 18, 2000

By 

Matthew Davey - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jane's Chem-Bio Handbook (Spiral-bound)

This book offers a concise overview of (1) on scene procedures such as triage and decontamination, (2) general characteristics of weapon classes, (3) details of specific agents, and (4) treatments. It also describes precursor chemicals and 4 case histories. It is better written and more detailed than the comparable book "First responder chem-bio handbook".

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jane's Chem-Bio Handbook: A useful tool, June 7, 2000

By 

Ron Lopez (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jane's Chem-Bio Handbook (Spiral-bound)

Among those involved with the planning and implementation of specialized, multi-casualty incident response, this book is quite useful. Field personnel, command staff, and planners - all will find it helpful. I found it to be concise, packable, and physically handy. About the only thing I'd change would be to laminate the pages for weather resistance.

R.D. Lopez, Emergency Medical Services and Disaster Specialist, Dept. of Public Health