STOCKTON FIRE DEPARTMENT

Engine Company #10

The mission of the Hazardous Materials Response Team is to protect the public by safely mitigating hazardous materials releases and environmental emergencies. The goals of the program are to coordinate with state and local authorities to prepare for, prevent, respond to, and determine the responsible party for a wide variety of hazardous materials releases.

The Stockton Fire Department established a formal Hazardous Materials Response team in 1987 to meet the potential hazards posed by the increasing use of toxic and hazardous materials.

The Hazardous Materials Response Unit (Haz Mat 10) is made up of members from Engine Company 10 and additional members throughout the department. Truck 7 personnel have recently been trained to the Hazardous Materials Technician level and will complement the Haz Mat team during hazardous materials incidents. Emergency operations are coordinated by the Deputy Chief of Operations and the Haz Mat Chief.  The team is also a member of the San Joaquin County Joint Hazardous Materials Response Team, a pool of hazardous material teams that can be utilized on large scale incidents.  Other resources available include San Joaquin County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health, County Office of Emergency Service, and the United States Coast Guard.  Currently, the SFD Haz Mat team is in the process of becoming a State certified Type 2 Haz Mat team.

To maintain compliance with Cal-OSHA regulations, all certified members must successfully complete a 160-hour hazardous materials technician certification course. Additionally, all personnel certified as Hazardous Materials Specialists attend an additional 80 hours of training.  Each year, certified members receive at least 24 hours of continuing education.

Every firefighter recruit academy receives 40 hours of instruction in Hazardous Materials First Responder Awareness/Operational, Decon and Terrorism Consequence Management.  Upon completion, recruits are certified to First Responder Operations and Decon.

The Team utilizes a hazardous materials response vehicle, Haz Mat 10, which serves as a mobile laboratory for analyzing and identifying materials on site. Haz Mat 10 is built on a recreational vehicle platform. This vehicle contains personal protective equipment such as Level A and Level B chemical protective suits and SCBA’s for entering hazardous environments containing known or unknown chemicals.  In addition, the vehicle has been outfitted with chemical identification and hazard assessment equipment such as gas, radiation, and nerve agent detectors along with a portable weather station and mobile computer database.  It also contains supplies for spill control and containment, which minimize the impact of an event on the environment.  The unit also carries decontamination equipment and an extensive chemical reference library.

Decon 10

The Haz Mat Team has recently added a utility unit (Decon 10) to the Department.  This unit is a support vehicle that responds to incidents, such as, mass decontamination events.  The vehicle enables the team to utilize a newly acquired 20-foot decontamination trailer for large scale incidents, which when completed, will replace the older and smaller 12-foot trailer. The trailer contains multiple inflatable shower units, a portable water heater, tethered air cart, and necessary protective clothing.