They encompass many types of dangerous incidents, both accidental and intentional:

• chemical agents in the vicinity of industrial sites,
• accidents during transport of hazardous materials,
• terrorist acts against the public,
• exposure to NBC agents as the result of military conflict.

All forms of exposure to NBC agents have these points in common:

• presence of toxins or radiological material,
• exposure occurs unexpectedly and rapidly,
• the crisis is impossible to control without pre-planned management programs in place, trained personnel with knowledge of NBC and equipment to protect persons and facilities,

Two concepts underlie protection of the public against toxic hazards: 

Containment - when an alarm is sounded, persons should stay indoors wherever they are, seal external ventilation systems, doors and windows, and await instructions from emergency services authorities.

Evacuation - removing persons from an area of exposure to toxins with individual protection equipment as possible, to decontamination areas safe from exposure. 

Passive Containment Kits include basic materials to seal windows and doors, instructions for use by individuals confined within buildings.  These kits are similar to First Aid Kits in metal boxes or containers, to be keep available for immediate use as needed.

Active Containment involves ventilation system equipment specifically designed to filter air against toxins for facilities such as hospitals, schools, commercial and governmental buildings, public safety command posts and operations centers. 

Evacuation systems include the comprehensive system of prepackaged individual protection systems for the general population, ready to deploy to exposure site for distribution by public safety personnel for use in removing persons from the exposure site. 

NBC Protection Equipment and Gear for public safety personnel includes the full range of personal protective masks and garments, chemical warfare agent and toxic industrial material detectors, radiation dosimeters, decontamination kits and systems, and full mil-spec Chemical/Biological (CB) protective gear for special operations as appropriate.