Anniston Star
January 18, 2003

FEMA to release funds to establish response team

By Amy Sieckmann
Star Staff Writer
01-18-2003

Local officials announced Friday that $1.3 million will be released to train and equip Anniston's firefighters to respond to a chemical weapons accident at the Anniston Army Depot.

Assistant Fire Chief Troy Taylor said the news was still spreading among the firefighters, but those who had heard were very excited.

"We are in the business to protect and serve and this is just another way to do that," Taylor said. "We hope nothing happens but we are here to give people peace of mind."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency agreed Thursday to release the funds to the city of Anniston to establish a local hazardous materials team. County officials had been asking for the money for more than a year, said Mike Burney, the county's Emergency Management Agency executive director.

Burney said executive red tape appeared to have held up the process. With this money, the Anniston Fire Department would become the first and only force trained and equipped to enter an area contaminated by chemical weapons and help anyone injured.

Taylor said the department has a grocery list of items they need to purchase and a lot of training needs to be done. "We are not in the (hazardous materials) business other than what we learn in basic training," he said. "We are sort of starting from scratch."

He said the equipment needed must be put out for bid, a process estimated to take at least 9-10 months. Training will be done in the interim, he said.

Taylor said the funding will go to purchase several large pieces of equipment and level A protective suits. The department had been given suits that have been deemed usable only outside of a hazardous chemical situation. He said the money should be sufficient to cover the needed items and to train at least 28 firefighters. The training will be done at McClellan's Center for Domestic Preparedness, he said.

Burney said the local EMA has requested more funding, but has not heard anything yet.

County Commissioner Eli Henderson was ecstatic about the news, but said he will continue to push for more funding for more protection.

"It's stupid we've got no one to respond," Henderson said of the fact that the area has no trained and equipped first responders.

"Finally, we will have someone to respond."