 F-M
hazmat team wants new status
J. Shane Mercer,The Forum
Published February 10, 2007
The
Moorhead-Fargo Regional Hazardous Materials Team could double its current state
funding if Minnesota OKs its request to become an Emergency Response Team.
Presently, the hazardous materials team carries a Chemical Assessment Team
designation. It gets $45,000 per year, the majority of its budget, from
Minnesota, team co-coordinator Chad Stangeland said.
Emergency
Response Teams get $120,000 annually, said Stangeland, who is also a lieutenant
with the Moorhead Fire Department. The state can give more than this if it so
chooses, but these numbers represent the funds contracted to the teams by the
states.
Both
chemical assessment teams and emergency response teams respond to potentially
dangerous situations involving hazardous materials, such as chemical leaks or
spills, but an assessment team is more limited in its mitigation capabilities.
Chemical
Assessment Teams send groups of three to five people to a danger site. This
group can provide advice, help the local government develop a plan of action,
and identify chemicals and health hazards.
But
the team can undertake only limited mitigation efforts because of the
restrictions that the state places on the size of assessment teams. Emergency
response teams, on the other hand, can send up to 12 responders to danger sites,
allowing them to take on greater mitigation efforts to combat the problem.
The
additional cash would help provide more training for the regional force, which
is comprised of 51 hazardous materials specialists and technicians, said
co-coordinator and Fargo Fire Capt. Chris Rasmussen. It would also provide money
for the upkeep and purchase of equipment.
The
emergency response team status would not be new for the metro area hazmat force.
The team held that designation from 1995 to 2001 until state cuts stripped the
local team of the status.
Further,
the regional force essentially already serves as an emergency response team for
Cass and Clay counties.
It
is in the outlying counties within its coverage area that the team serves as a
chemical assessment force. Even in these counties, the metro area team is
permitted to go out in greater numbers if they are so directed by the state.
The
Moorhead City Council gave the team the go-ahead to pursue the emergency
response team status and to make the standard application for recertification as
a chemical assessment team at Monday's council meeting. Stangeland expects a
response to the request for emergency response team certification at the
beginning of June.
The
City Council would have to approve acceptance of the rating if the state granted
team's request.
Readers
can reach Forum reporter
J.
Shane Mercer at (701) 451-5734
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