Responding to CBRN Events: Joint Operating Principles for the Emergency Services

Change request reference O.G. CC 120 was approved by the NFCC Operational Preparedness, Response and Resilience Committee on 15 January 2026. It was developed in response to the Responding to CBRN Events: Joint Operating Principles for the Emergency Services, JESIP publication being revised, and due to go live in March 2026.

This publication has an impact on the following products:

• Foundation for hazardous materials
• Operational Guidance – Hazardous materials
• Operational Guidance – Hazardous materials: Health hazards
• Operational Guidance – Hazardous materials: Physical hazards

Because these products are currently undergoing a periodic review, this change request is to provide an interim solution for fire and rescue services.

Some of the above products contained references to the following zones:

• Hot Zone – This is a contaminated area where the initial release occurs or disperses. It will be the area likely to pose an immediate threat to the health and safety of everybody in it and is the area of greatest risk. It is located inside the inner cordon and is part of the hazard area.
• Warm Zone – This is the area uncontaminated by the initial release of a substance. It may become contaminated by the movement of people or vehicles. It is surrounded by the inner cordon and is part of the hazard area but usually contains lower risks than the hot zone.
• Cold Zone – This is the uncontaminated area between the inner and outer cordon. Key operational command positions and other essential activities will be set up in this area. Police services, in liaison with fire and rescue services and ambulance services, should decide whether members of the public need to be evacuated from the cold zone.

The relevant content has been updated so that it refers instead to the following zones:

• Dirty Zone – The area where the initial release occurs or disperses to. It will be the area which may pose an immediate threat to the health and safety of all those located within it and is the area of greatest risk, typically contained inside an inner cordon. This may change in size over time (formerly Hot Zone).
• Decon Zone – An area uncontaminated by the initial release of a substance, which becomes contaminated by the movement of people or vehicles due to decontamination and scene management activities. These areas cannot be guaranteed as free from contamination and typically the inner cordon will expand to include this area. The level of PPE will need to be determined on the basis of dynamic risk assessment and scientific advice (formerly Warm Zone).
• Clean Zone – The uncontaminated area between the inner cordon and the outer cordon where it has been assessed that there is no immediate threat to life (formerly Cold Zone).

Strategic actions and tactical actions

No strategic actions have been archived as part of this change request, nor have any new strategic actions been published.

There have been some minor wording changes to strategic actions and tactical actions to reflect the change in zone titles as detailed above, or to amend CBRN(e) to CBRN.

Training specifications

The training specifications have been updated for terminology only and have not been brought into line with the more detailed style that is now used for training specifications. This process will be carried out as part of the ongoing review, and revised training specifications published later this year.