Emergency response preparation nearly complete

By Nathan Solheim
Assistant Metro Editor
03-19-2004

Most emergency preparedness measures were in place when the incinerator fired up last August. One wasn’t. The Anniston Fire Department, selected to provide emergency response for hazardous materials accidents, had not yet been provided proper training or equipment. Now the city’s firefighters expect to be fully prepared by late April or early May. “We’re getting close,” said Anniston fire Chief Bill Fincher. Regular training had given Anniston limited knowledge on how to respond to a hazardous materials event, and Calhoun County has a volunteer HAZMAT team. Still, Fincher had to prepare a force of 97 men and women to deal with potential incidents most had never experienced. That meant preparing them to deal with a cloud of chemical agent billowing across Calhoun County and to respond to emergency needs in its aftermath. The Anniston Fire Department is the designated primary HAZMAT team to respond to a chemical weapons accident, if agent escapes the boundaries of the Anniston Army Depot. Among other responsibilities, the department would help residents exposed to agent, assist in evacuation, and set up a safety perimeter. A key part of the department’s response is a HAZMAT vehicle resembling a fire truck. The truck allows firefighters to get to the accident scene quickly with equipment. The $444,000 truck was specially built by Pierce Manufacturing in Appleton, Wis. “The teams have a large amount of equipment and supplies they need to respond,” said Kirsten Skyba, Pierce spokeswoman. “So each of these is custom-built for each different department.” Fincher said the vehicle was supposed to leave Wisconsin Wednesday morning and arrive in Anniston by week’s end. Fincher said Anniston’s vehicle is designed to stay in areas for long periods of time, so it has a built-in generator and can refill air tanks. It also has a weather station and global positioning system. About 55 firefighters have been trained as HAZMAT technicians, with another group set to train, Fincher said. That would give the force about 70 HAZMAT technicians. Each technician goes through a 40-hour training session. Before the department started building the HAZMAT response, firefighters had operational and awareness HAZMAT training in their courses to become firefighters. “Eventually, the entire department should have some type of training,” Fincher said. The technicians learned how to work in protective suits, which fully cover them and have an air tank. They also learned to recognize chemicals and how to decontaminate people and areas. Fincher also said his department has procured most of its equipment for the HAZMAT technicians. The Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program gave Anniston $1.3 million to spend on HAZMAT preparations. Included in the deal, said Dan Long, the director of the Calhoun County Emergency Management Agency, is the ability to respond to other HAZMAT incidents. HAZMAT incidents can include a chemical spill from an overturned tanker or railroad car, and, Long said, the Anniston HAZMAT team can respond to incidents in Anniston and in Calhoun County. A complex set of agreements dictating when and how Anniston firefighters are to respond to HAZMAT events is still being worked out. Long said he is satisfied with the department’s progress. “It’s all on target as far as I can tell,” he said. Fincher said the primary focus is nerve agent, and he is working on plans for other types of HAZMAT events. From August until now, Anniston firefighters could not have put together a true response to a HAZMAT accident. “We have a limited response, but when you can’t carry equipment to (the scene), it’s not the way you want to set it up,” Fincher said. “It would be awkward and disorganized right now, I wouldn’t consider it a response right now.” When the equipment arrives and the firefighters complete their training, he said, the department will be able to handle many HAZMAT incidents.

About Nathan Solheim

Assistant Metro Editor Nathan Solheim is Minnesota native and a University of Georgia graduate.