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Hazmat
training helps firefighters
By
MARY GALES ASKREN
Capital Journal Staff
"The more you know, the
better you can work. You can work smarter and work safer," said Doug
Hinkle, captain of Engine Company No. 1.
Hinkle was one of five firefighters to take vacation time or personal leave from
their places of employment to attend specialized training at the Emergency
Response Training Center in Pueblo, Colo. The weeklong course provided those
firefighters with both classroom training and the opportunity to be involved in
exercises involving actual hazardous materials.
Other firefighters to attend the training were Curt Hasart, Matt Gacke, Shane
Lehrkamp and Sean Devine.
Firefighters know that every fire is a hazardous materials incident. Every home
and business contains hazardous materials. Motor vehicles contain hazardous
materials.
In most situations, standard bunker gear with breathing apparatus provides
firefighters with the protection they need to knock down the fire and contain
the situation.
However, in every community, the potential for a more serious hazardous
materials incident exists, Hinkle said. Railcars carrying hazardous materials
pose a danger. Farm chemicals pose a danger. Fuels – propane, gas, diesel fuel
– pose a danger.
When firefighters are called in to deal with emergencies involving large
quantities of these substances – and others – they need specialized gear and
specialized training.
"If we have a chemical that is absorbed through the skin, our bunker gear
wouldn't be adequate," Hinkle said.
In addition to having firefighters receive specialized training, the Pierre fire
department has recently purchased equipment which will enable them to better
address hazardous materials incidents, according to fire chief Tam Gatje. The
equipment was purchased with a grant received through the state with federal
funding.
"Some of this equipment will work for both weapons of mass destruction and
hazardous materials," Gatje said.
Most firefighters on the Pierre Volunteer Fire Department have basic training in
recognizing a hazardous materials disaster, Hinkle said. They know how to
establish a perimeter and evacuate the area.
Many also have additional training in preventing the hazardous material from
contaminating the area outside the perimeter, according to Hinkle. However,
previously only two or three firefighters who work professionally in areas which
require more advanced training were able to do more, he said.
The training received in Colorado during the last week in September increased
that number by five.
"We can actually go in and try to stop the source of the problem,"
Hinkle said.
Gatje said the men received training after the state requested that some Pierre
firefighters be trained to the technician level. Prior to this, only three
departments had firefighters trained to deal with hazardous materials incidents
– Sioux Falls, Rapid City and Aberdeen.
The Pierre fire department prepared for a local incident by training to contain
the incident until a qualified team could arrive.
"We have a contract with the Rapid City Fire Department to assist us if
there's a release beyond our capabilities," Gatje said.
One of the primary capabilities acquired through the specialized training was
chemical identification.
"We can actually go in and check what kind of chemicals we're dealing
with," Hinkle said.
This can be the most time-consuming aspect of addressing a hazardous materials
incident, he said. In a full-scale exercise in Colorado, Hinkle said, it took
nearly three hours to identify the chemical and approximately one hour to handle
the situation once that was done.
The plan of action is based on the substance and the situation, according to
Hinkle.
"Sometimes the best course of action is not to do anything but evacuate the
area and let it run its course," he said.
The Pierre Volunteer Fire Department has responded to situations in the area
which required these skills. In once instance, they were called to assist with a
sulfur fire, Hinkle said.
"They got it on their bunker gear before we knew what we were dealing
with," he said.
When firefighters don't know the substance with which they are dealing, the
scope of the incident can expand. They can unknowingly put their own lives in
danger. Training can prevent this from happening.
"We don't want to put anyone's life in danger," he said.
Story by: Mary Gales Askren
Capital Journal, Pierre, SD
www.capitaljournal.com
For more information about the Pierre Fire
Department, e-mail the PFD
webmaster.
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