Hazardous Material (Haz-Mat) Response
“Hazardous materials response (HAZMAT) team means an organized group of employees, designated by the employer, who are expected to perform work to handle and control actual or potential leaks or spills of hazardous substances requiring possible close approach to the substance. The team members perform responses to releases or potential releases of hazardous substances for the purpose of control or stabilization of the incident. A HAZMAT team is not a fire brigade nor is a typical fire brigade a HAZMAT team. A HAZMAT team, however, may be a separate component of a fire brigade or fire department.”
29 CFR 1910.120
The Lawrence-Douglas County Fire and Medical Department (LDCFM) Hazardous Materials Team is one of the department’s oldest Technical Rescue Services. The Hazmat Team was founded in 1981 when the City of Lawrence and Douglas County entered into an informal agreement. Through this agreement, the City provided fire department personnel and equipment and the County provided funding to develop a response team capable of mitigating a hazardous materials release. In 1986, the City and County signed a Memorandum of Understanding through which LDCFM formally became the incident command agency for all hazardous materials incidents within Douglas County and its communities. Formal funding was secured and the County began purchasing equipment to outfit the team based upon LDCFM recommendations. The agreement was further strengthened with the Joint Cities-County Resolution and Local Emergency Planning Committee Resolution of May 1999.
The early hazmat team was located at the former location of Fire Station 4 (the old stone barn) and was a meager collection of proximity suits, Eastwind suits, and Tyvech suits along with early gas detection equipment and Hazcat Kit stored on a former ambulance. As equipment was added, a small enclosed trailer stored decontamination supplies, absorbents, over pack drums, and foam. In 1996, the City, in conjunction with area businesses, funded the purchase of a 1996 International chassis with a Hackney body. This truck made it possible to consolidate all equipment onto one apparatus and brought the addition of a command cab at the back with a computer and increased communication capability.
Today, the LDCFM Hazmat Team is located at Fire Medical Station No. 5 in the heart of Lawrence. Funding made available through the Department of Justice and Homeland Security since 2001 has brought significant equipment and training changes to the team, with capability second to none. Early suits have been replaced with state of the art responder suits with flash protection, cutting edge detection and monitoring equipment, computer and web based research tools, advanced radiation detection, and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) capability.
The department currently has 30 International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) certified technicians throughout with 18 dedicated to the Hazmat Team. The team has expanded and now has members located at Stations No. 5 and No. 4, and is supported by the chartered Douglas County Hazmat Team.
