Inaugural CHEMEX GRULAC concludes in the Dominican Republic
CHEMEX GRULAC, a large‑scale, multi-component chemical emergency preparedness and response exercise for first responders and health professionals from across Latin America and the Caribbean, has concluded in the Dominican Republic.
Organised by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in coordination with the Dominican Ministry of Defence, the exercise took place from 27 April to 7 May in the capital city, Santo Domingo, and brought together a total of 90 participants, including 18 local experts and instructors, from 23 countries. Approximately 25 percent of the participants in the exercise were women, a figure that increased with the involvement of local participants.
CHEMEX GRULAC 2026 constituted the first large-scale, multi-component exercise of its kind in Latin America and the Caribbean, promoting joint training, the exchange of best practices and effective coordination between civil and military authorities responding to and managing chemical threats.
Training addressed the identification of chemical agents, decontamination procedures, detection and sampling techniques, the use of personal protective equipment, and CBRN incident management and command.
Participants responded to several increasingly complex scenarios, including a laboratory with a chemical leak, an explosion involving toxic chemicals and the collection of evidence from a chemical dispersion device.
First-time medical component
For the first time the OPCW integrated a full medical component into an exercise of this scale to test "the entire chain of response — from the hot zone to hospital care — under realistic, high-pressure conditions".
The scenario simulated a large-scale chemical incident with multiple casualties requiring different types of care. Victims were transported by ambulance to a field medical tent, where teams had to rapidly assess each patient and decide on the next steps, including urgent transfer to intensive care when needed.
Using triage protocols, patients were categorised with colour-coded tags based on the severity of their condition to ensure the most critical cases received immediate attention, while others were directed to the appropriate treatment areas within the tent.
On the sidelines of the exercise, the OPCW deputy director-general Odette Melono met with the Dominican Republic’s Minister of Defence Lt. Gen. Fernandez Onofre and Vice Minister Silié Váldez in Santo Domingo.
Final exercise
The exercise culminated in a full-scale demonstration on Wednesday 6 May, held before national authorities, donor countries, international observers and accredited embassies. Attendees witnessed a "comprehensive simulation" that recreated a complete chemical incident response, from activating alert and intelligence systems, deploying specialised teams, decontamination processes, to medical care and transferring victims to hospital.
Speaking at the opening of the final exercise, the deputy director-general of the OPCW, Odette Melono, said that CHEMEX GRULAC "represents a milestone for the OPCW and our states parties".
"For the first time, the exercise encompassed the full spectrum of chemical emergency response by incorporating a medical component, reflecting a more realistic approach to preparedness and response to chemical incidents. By integrating these medical segments on the management of exposure to chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals, we ensure a seamless response from the moment an incident occurs in the field, to the final treatment of victims in hospitals."
Delivered with financial support from the European Union and the governments of Canada and Spain, CHEMEX GRULAC is the second exercise in the OPCW's "CHEMEX" series, with CHEMEX Africa having taken place in Algeria from 23 September to 5 October 2023.
On that occasion, the exercise welcomed 102 participants from 33 African countries, and represented the first ever large-scale chemical emergency response exercise for African countries organised by the OPCW.
