The Hanford Fire Department, long known for its primary role in Site fire suppression, paramedic and emergency response services, has recently pioneered some unique regional endeavors. At the same time, it fought one of the most dangerous fire years in recent memory.

Led by Chief Don Good, a fire fighter with over 34 years of experience in hazardous fire suppression at Department of Energy (DOE) sites, the HFD has battled nine range fires on or near Hanford lands just since June 18.

It also has assisted regional fire departments in suppressing five other fires on a "mutual aid" basis this summer. The HFD participates in mutual aid agreements with 13 other fire departments and fire protection districts in the area surrounding the Hanford Site.

Additionally, 33 Hanford Fire personnel volunteer as members of eight volunteer fire districts around the region, and several others serve as commanders, safety officers, section chiefs and supervisors in the two fire management oversight teams in Benton and Franklin counties.

"The HFD is one of the largest and best trained fire service organizations in the region," said Good. While HFD's historical expertise lies in dealing with hazardous materials, incidents involving radiological hazards, and process-related, natural cover, electrical and vehicle fires, regional community fire departments have more ongoing experience with heart attacks, automobile accidents, shootings, drug overdoses, and even births.

So the long-time chief has worked to combine his recruit training classes with those of the Kennewick Fire Department, and he makes sure HFD paramedics participate in "ride-along" programs with the fire departments of Richland, Pasco and Kennewick.

"Working with others in our region," Good said, "we can pass on what we have learned about hazardous materials, and we can benefit from the experiences of others and keep up our skills. To be able to take some of our special expertise and skills and apply them to the communities where we all live is a highlight for us. This kind of sharing strengthens the fire service community all around us."

Site-Wide Incident Command Responsibility

The 142-member HFD expanded its responsibilities this past year to meet corrective actions resulting from the May 1997 incident at the Plutonium Reclamation Facility. At the time of the PRF event, HFD emergency personnel shared "unified command" responsibilities with the building emergency directors of each facility. However, event analysis showed that it would be better to have a single commander at each emergency site or event.

That's when the HFD established a training battalion chief position and restructured to form a Response Readiness Training group. After intensive training last spring, HFD personnel assumed Incident Command responsibilities for all Site emergencies as of July 1.

On August 25, the HFD took delivery of a new mobile incident command center. This specialized vehicle is outfitted with computers, cellular phones, assay equipment and other devices necessary to make it an effective incident command post. While its primary use will be on the Hanford Site, the HFD hopes to make the vehicle available on a mutual aid basis when it is needed for local multi-agency events.

Special Terrorist Response Training

In another new initiative, Battalion Chief Dave Hare worked with the military to bring chemical, biological, nuclear terrorist response training to the HFD. In tandem with the Chemical/Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) of the U.S. Marines at Camp LeJuene, North Carolina, Hare and other HFD personnel learned methods of detecting, treating and mitigating terrorist actions involving hazardous substances.

Why, when Hanford is only performing cleanup and waste storage, would the Site be a terrorist target? "The word Hanford grabs headlines," Hare reasoned, "even if something happens just in an office building...[and] terrorists try to create fear by grabbing headlines."

In June, CBIRF military officers and specialists came to Hanford's HAMMER (Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response) training facility to observe and critique an HFD exercise simulating a terrorist incident involving nerve gas. The exercise also drew observers from the Seattle Fire Department and other entities potentially interested in adding the training to their organizations.

According to Lieutenant R.E. Farish of the CBIRF medical section, the HFD had developed a "strong foundation upon which to build." Farish and his team offered tips on how to better configure mass mobile decontamination facilities and how to place equipment and responders for maximum effectiveness.

Now, Chief Good and Operations Director Mike Dallas of DynCorp Tri-Cities Services are developing a proposal for the Mid-Columbia Emergency Medical Services Council to allow HFD ambulances to carry the rare and specific antidotes to various hazardous toxins that terrorists might use. Good and Dallas also are making sure that HFD shares its CBIRF training with other regional emergency responders.

Impressive Record

At the same time it’s broadening its horizons into new ventures, the HFD is taking about 1,000 routine calls per year. About 550-600 of these calls require fire alarm responses (many of them false alarms), about 280 are medical emergencies, 65-70 are actual fires in vehicles, electrical panels or on Hanford's range lands, about 35 are hazardous materials emergencies such as bulging waste drums, and 2 or 3 are personnel rescue calls.

The Hanford Site has one of the best fire loss ratios in the DOE complex, averaging less than two cents per $100 of property value. Aside from fire suppression, HFD personnel are trained in emergency medical services, hazardous materials responses, high- and low-angle rescues, confined-spaces rescues, fire protection service inspections and the development of pre-fire and building emergency plans.

The Hanford Fire Marshal's office is a critical component of the HFD. This office is chartered by DOE-RL and administers the site fire prevention program.

HFD personnel also perform functional testing and preventive maintenance for all fire protection systems and devices on Site, and maintenance and servicing of all respiratory protection equipment. They maintain four active fire stations, and as well three support service shops.

Tom Harper, who oversees the HFD as Fluor Daniel Hanford's Director of Infrastructure, states that he is frankly amazed at how much the HFD accomplishes. "It's definitely much more than a fire department," he said.

Hanford Reach, August 31, 1998, issue.