Anniston Star
July 24, 2003

Hazmat team might be ready by 2004

By Nathan Solheim
Star Staff Writer
06-24-2003

The Anniston Fire Department's hazardous materials team could be operational by early 2004, even though Army officials are trying to begin limited destruction of chemical weapons stored at the Anniston Army Depot this summer.

Anniston City Council members approved nearly $600,000 worth of expenditures during Monday's meeting to equip the fire department, but the equipment will take months for the city to get.

Anniston Mayor Chip Howell has asked federal officials to allow the Calhoun County HAZMAT team, a volunteer group made up mostly of teachers at the Center for Domestic Preparedness, to respond to any accidents or incidents in which agent escapes depot property while city officials implement the team.

He hasn't received an answer, though.

"I feel comfortable with the program," Howell said of the interim operations plan.

The council purchased several pieces of equipment, including two systems that detect toxic materials, a heavy rescue truck, a thermal imaging camera and a breathing system for firefighters. The rescue truck costs around $450,000.

Anniston fire Chief Bill Fincher said the department could respond in a limited capacity if an accident were to occur.

"We'll do what we can do with what we've got," Fincher said.

Over the next several months, some Anniston firefighters will receive hazardous materials training as well as protective suits, but Fincher said the program's implementation would depend on how quickly the manufacturers respond to the city's purchase orders.

Anniston's hazardous materials team is a part of the overall chemical weapons preparedness plan being instituted by the Calhoun County Emergency Management Agency. The total budget for the program is $1.3 million.

Money for the program comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.