By Alan M. Petrillo
Hazardous materials (hazmat) vehicles have been called the stepchildren of emergency vehicles, likely because they are used much more infrequently than other fire trucks in a department's fleet.
However, when they are needed, it usually is a critical situation, so most fire departments train regularly on the use of hazmat equipment, which can be carried on a truck that's sized from small to overly large.
The size of a hazmat rig often depends on a number of considerations, from budget available and the types of hazards to be handled to whether the vehicle is the property of a fire department or a municipal or regional agency. So across the country, fire departments are using a variety of vehicles as their hazmat rigs, from putting hazmat gear in coffin compartments on the top of a pumper to rescues that carry an assortment of hazmat equipment to large vehicles that are specialized decon and hazmat trucks.
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| Pierce Manufacturing Inc. built this three-door-cab hazmat truck for the San Diego (CA) Fire Department. The vehicle has a walk-in command area and a walk-around body. (Photo courtesy of Pierce Manufacturing Inc.) |
Defining Services
Bill Proft, rescue program director for Pierce Manufacturing Inc., observes that a hazmat truck to one department isn't necessarily considered a hazmat vehicle by the next department. "These trucks vary from relatively small containment-style vehicles to large dual-rear-axle vehicles that have a laboratory on board," he points out. "To find the best fit, a fire department has to determine what its needs are for its fire protection area, as well as the kind of problems it might be facing."
Proft notes that gasoline tankers regularly fill up gasoline station tanks around the country, allowing for a potential hazmat situation. "Fire departments can face chemical plant hazards, airport hazards, and roadway hazards from trucks carrying hazardous materials aboard," he says. "You have to determine what type of hazmat suits you will carry, how they'll be stored on your vehicle, if you need a laboratory, and if you want or need a decontamination facility. All those decisions go into determining the size of the hazmat vehicle."
Ed Smith, director of the Emergency Vehicles Group for VT Hackney Inc., says that in past years, fire departments and emergency management agencies responded to hazmat calls, performed containment functions, and also did mitigation. "In the last five years or so, we are seeing very few responders doing mitigation," Smith says. "They are containing the spill or situation until the mitigation specialist companies arrive to clean it up."
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The State of Massachusetts Fire Services purchased 10 hazmat trucks from VT Hackney, all identical to the rig shown. The units are spread around the state and s
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Posted: Sep 10, 2015
Investigators have recovered video showing a flammable object being thrown through the window of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Washington state before a fire broke out Friday. Pullman police spokesman Cmdr. Chris Tennant said video shows the inside of the building as the object was thrown through the window.
- PUB DATE: 9/10/2015 8:44:23 AM - SOURCE: KREM-TV CBS 2
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Posted: Sep 10, 2015
Investigators have recovered video showing a flammable object being thrown through the window of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Washington state before a fire broke out Friday. Pullman police spokesman Cmdr. Chris Tennant said video shows the inside of the building as the object was thrown through the window.
- PUB DATE: 9/10/2015 8:44:23 AM - SOURCE: KREM-TV CBS 2
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Posted: Sep 10, 2015
Investigators have recovered video showing a flammable object being thrown through the window of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Washington state before a fire broke out Friday. Pullman police spokesman Cmdr. Chris Tennant said video shows the inside of the building as the object was thrown through the window.
- PUB DATE: 9/10/2015 8:44:23 AM - SOURCE: KREM-TV CBS 2
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Posted: Sep 10, 2015
Eliminating the Moses Lake ambulance service could cost either firefighters or money.
Acting Fire Chief Brett Bastian repeated what other firefighters and the previous fire chief have stated in a 24-page report he presented to the city council.
Councilmember Jon Lane asked the city officials to develop the report to explain what the fire department would look like without the ambulance service.
- PUB DATE: 9/10/2015 3:29:57 AM - SOURCE: iFiberOne
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