J. Travis Carricato retired from the Columbia Fire Department as an operations division chief with 25 years of emergency response experience, including nine years serving as a task force leader with South Carolina’s Urban Search and Rescue Team (SC-TF1). As the owner and founder of E-Med Training Services, he now provides customized emergency response program training for the private and industrial sectors both domestically and internationally.
Describe the type of students you train and the training facilities you use.
We focus on industrial emergency response training, addressing the significant hazards these facilities may present during emergencies. Often, industrial emergency responders are not just the first line of defense, but in many rural locations, they are the only line of defense. We work with these students, knowing that their lives — and livelihoods — depend on the quality of our training. We train across various industries, including automotive manufacturing, oil and gas, tire manufacturing, paper and pulp, steel production, and power generation facilities.
How do you mix up the training scenarios so they don’t become predictable or stale?
Before we acquired the HazSim Pro3, our air monitoring capabilities were limited. Now, we’ve added realistic air monitoring prompts, making spill response exercises more complex and requiring critical thinking from entry teams and incident commanders. The HAZSIM Pro3 device, controlled by an instructor, introduces real-time prompts and challenges to keep scenarios dynamic and engaging.
What’s the key to best preparing responders to handle real scenarios outside of the controlled training environment?
The key is realistic, hands-on, practical evolutions. While lectures have a place, most students thrive in life-like, applicable training that reflects real scenarios they might encounter.
What wicked training problem keeps you up at night?
Previously, it was finding a reliable way to track skill check-offs and documentation for each student. Now, with our software platform, BrigadeIQ, we can track class progress, skill assessments, certifications, and OSHA compliance. Without proper documentation, training investments are undermined since they don’t offer defendable proof of student proficiency and competency in response investigations.
What is your biggest obstacle when conducting hazmat training?
Previously, one major challenge was “pretending” air monitoring devices were active. Now, technology allows us to send prompts to the units, requiring students to interpret real signals. Coupled with a fog machine for visual effects, students receive immediate feedback if they fail to assess their zones correctly, enhancing the realism of the experience.
What would it take to solve it?
Several years of dedicated programming, combined with a deep understanding of OSHA regulations and NFPA best-practice training standards.
What devices do you rely on most for realistic training?
In addition to standard leak props and training suits, the most significant advancement has been integrating a realistic air monitoring trainer. This tool allows students to move beyond merely reacting to device alarms, fostering critical thinking vital for real-world hazardous material responses.
How, if at all, do you alter training for new responders versus seasoned veterans?
For new responders, we focus on skill rotations to build muscle memory. For veterans, we emphasize scenario-based training from start to finish, allowing them to practice comprehensive responses and identify training, equipment, and skill gaps.
How do you keep the classroom portion of hazmat training fresh?
We use Chemical Safety Board case studies to illustrate the relevance of our training. These studies remind students that while unexpected, industrial emergencies are all too common, underscoring the importance of preparedness. After all, no one ever wakes up in the morning and says, “Well, today is the day we have our unexpected large industrial emergency.”
What’s the optimum class size and why?
We base our class sizes on NFPA’s and OSHA’s recommended student-to-instructor ratios, ensuring students have sufficient instructor support. For optimum effectiveness, classes of 12 to 15 students allow us to cover all the roles like incident commander, safety officer, air monitoring, entry team, decontamination, and donning/doffing. Smaller classes limit role coverage, while larger ones reduce instructional time for less experienced students. OSHA 1910.120 App E #6 recommends five students per instructor for level A or B training and a 10-to-1 ratio for level C or D.
As a hazmat instructor, what’s been your biggest “ah-ha” teaching moment?
It took a little while to realize that most industrial response students approach technical learning differently — some ask “why”, others focus on “how”, and some only connect once they’ve done it themselves. Ultimately, the class isn’t about me; it’s about the students. For instructors with a lot of response experience, it is very easy to over teach and still have the students miss the importance of hazmat basics. My role as an instructor is to meet them where they are, not to make them adapt to my style.
What role does technology play in how you teach hazmat and what do you think the future holds for it?
E-Med Training leverages technology in two primary ways: with computer-based simulations for OSHA 1910.120 (q) On-Scene Incident Command training under realistic staffing conditions (limited staffing and escalating mutual-aid incidents), and with HazSim Pro3 for scenario-based training across diverse industrial settings.
What did you learn from early failures?
Initially, I didn’t fully appreciate the unique needs of industrial environments during emergencies. Unlike municipal responders, industrial responders in the Southeast often lack extensive response experience due to strict safety protocols at their facilities. This makes hands-on, relevant training critical, so they are ready to act, even without a bank of previous experience to draw from. Ensuring that instructors understand they must move beyond PowerPoint presentations and focus on tangible skills is essential for effective training for teams that do not have extensive response experience.
What does the long-term future look like for your company?
We’re excited to expand E-Med Training’s reach across the South and into the Midwest, propelled by the success of BrigadeIQ.com. BrigadeIQ is becoming the premier emergency response management software platform for industrial response teams, perfectly complementing our training services by addressing the unique challenges these types of emergency teams face. It provides a streamlined solution for managing and documenting team member qualifications, equipment readiness, and emergency response audit report generation. Looking ahead, through training at E-Med Training Services, we envision BrigadeIQ becoming an industry standard in emergency response management, fostering a culture of safety and resilience across diverse industries. E-Med Training’s long-term goal is to make BrigadeIQ an essential resource for industrial sites dedicated to enhancing their emergency preparedness and operational safety.
