Grants Pass Fire Rescue Personnel Undergo Hazmat Training
Hazmat Team 8 from Medford, the regional Hazmat team for Josephine, Jackson, Klamath, and Lake counties, came to Grant Pass this week to conduct detailed hazmat training for all the fire departments in Josephine County.
“We're collaborating together in order to learn and become more effective and efficient when it comes to hazardous materials incidents,” said Wayne Nelson, Battalion Chief with Grants Pass Fire Rescue.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office coordinates with 13 regional Hazmat teams. The state funds the Hazmat teams and provides training and equipment. The regions are designed to be able to respond to a hazmat incident within a two-hour drive time, according to Nelson.
The training conducted this week involved three scenarios: A life safety drill, technical decontamination, and emergency decontamination from fire trucks.
“We set up a wash down technical decon, that’s something that we can do as fire departments in the local region…when they (the regional Hazmat team) show up they can say set up decon and we can go do that for them, that’s part of the team process that we can help with,” Nelson said.
Nelson estimates that 75 fire-fighting personnel received training this week at the Hillcrest Station, from not only Grants Pass Fire Rescue, but also Illinois Valley Fire Rescue, Williams Fire, Wolf Creek Fire, Rural Metro Fire, and AMR.
