Richard Marinucci

Maintaining hazmat response capabilities can be challenging because, fortunately, significant responses are not typically common for most organizations.

Yet, there is an expectation that departments will be capable. There are some things that can be done to keep personnel “response ready.” Communities must determine the expected level of response and establish goals in this regard. This will vary based on the real and perceived threat of a hazmat event and a community’s willingness and ability to pay.

Preparation

One of the more challenging assignments of fire departments and firefighters is preparing for and responding to calls involving hazardous materials. There are considerations such as expense, training required, specialized equipment, and the continually changing chemicals and hazards that could be involved. Add to this that, for the most part, these calls are relatively infrequent (this is a good thing) and the methodology used for response is typically different than a firefighter’s approach to other emergencies.

As with so many aspects of the fire service, there are varying degrees of quality that organizations have with regard to hazmat response. While all must meet minimum standards and Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements, each elects the level of competence it wishes to attain and maintain. The ultimate level of response is determined by personnel (both talent and number), training, equipment, and leadership. Each of these requires funding, so the ability and willingness of a community to pay will affect the capabilities of those who respond.

The expense to staff and outfit a hazmat team is large. Again, the actual cost depends on the degree of performance expected of the team. The really good teams have an adequate level of staffing. In most cases, those on the team are taking this as an added assignment. This means that they will be getting extra compensation, either in some type of stipend or overtime or both. Those on the team are well deserved of this, so that is not the point. The issue is that to prepare to respond, there must be an investment in personnel. This is a major consideration for establishing and maintaining a team.

Personnel

Selecting and maintaining personnel on a team is not always easy. It is an extra assignment that requires additional training. If the assignment to the team is in addition to a regular company assignment, there can be additional hours required. Personnel should be very healthy and physically fit. They will be asked to work in protective suits that stress the human body. There are added risks to responders because of the potential of exposure to very bad substances.

Another challenge is maintaining membership. There is a lot of training required to maintain competence and often few incidents. This can lead to frustration because members could become bored with the infrequent opportunity to use these special skills. If this occurs, there is the added expense that results from turnover. New members need to be recruited and trained. Each time, the person is starting from scratch.

There are things that can be done to minimize turnover and maintain interest. First, there needs to be good leadership on the team. Firefighters are no different from others in that they want to work for competent people who are passionate about their job. Strong leadership goes a long way in determining stability. The right people have to be selected fo