Hazardous Materials Response

A state-certified hazardous materials response team is available on the Hanford site to respond to any emergencies involving hazardous materials (hazmat) spills. All Hanford Fire Department response personnel are trained to the Operations level as defined by OSHA 29CFR1910.120 Subsection (q) and NFPA 471 and 472. Additional training has been given to all officers and to at least seven firefighters per shift to bring them to the Technician or Specialist level. Hazardous Materials Response team members have been trained in detection, monitoring, decontamination of personnel and equipment, and medical treatment of exposed and contaminated personnel.

The Hanford Fire Department has been designated by the State of Washington as the incident command agency for all hazardous materials incidents on the Hanford Site. All personnel, equipment, and vehicles comply with EPA requirements for a trained incident command agency for hazardous materials incidents. The U. S. Department of Energy - Richland Operations Office has designated the HFD as the official incident command agency for this geographical area.

A fully-equipped hazardous materials response vehicle, H/M-92, is housed at Station 92 in the 200 Areas. This truck has everything needed to mitigate nearly any hazmat event, including overpack equipment, drum popping tools, various hazmat suits, diking and absorbent materials, non-sparking tools, chlorine kits, monitoring equipment, and many other items. A Hazardous Categorization kit carried on the vehicle allows crews to identify unknown substances. A command module in the back of the unit allows crews to get in out of the weather and is used for reference materials dealing with hazmat incidents.

The command module also houses a computer running the Computer Aided Management of Emergency Operations (CAMEO) software developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This software assists hazmat responders by recommending first aid instruction, hazmat suit compatibility with various chemicals, evacuation distances, and even plume forecasting based on real-time weather information. All hazmat technicians are trained to operate the CAMEO system. This system, along with other resources contained in the command module, has proven invaluable in emergency situations.

Additional hazmat equipment is contained on Chem-94, housed at Station 94 in the 400 Area. This allows south area crews to respond to an event and begin operation while H\M-92 is en route to the emergency scene.

The Hanford Fire Department is available for response to such incidents on a 24-hour basis. Responsibilities include identification, monitoring, stabilization, and containment of hazmat spills. Decontamination can also be supplied by the fire department. These capabilities are also available for non-emergency events.