The mission of the McAlester Fire Department

Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Team is to...

Protect all emergency responders

Protect public health and safety

Protect property and assets

Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security

P.O. Box 11415, Oklahoma City, OK 73136-0415

Governor Brad Henry

Kerry Pettingill – Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 21, 2006

City of McAlester Receives Intermediate Response Unit, part of Homeland Security’s Statewide Regional Response System

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma Homeland Security Director Kerry Pettingill is pleased to announce the delivery of an Intermediate Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Response Trailer to the City of McAlester. This trailer is a component of the five-tiered Regional Response System, a project the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security (OKOHS) has obligated more than $16 million toward.

“The Regional Response System Units are strategically located across Oklahoma, to ensure an effective and timely response statewide,” said Pettingill. “The Intermediate HazMat Unit will be owned by the City of McAlester and available for the McAlester Fire Department to use for a local emergency. However, it will also work together with the other components of the system in the event of a larger, regional or state disaster.

The five levels of the Regional Response System includes five Regional HazMat Units, 20 Intermediate Units, 24 Small Decontamination Units, two Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Units and two Mass Decontamination Units. Of the 20 Intermediate Units, 12 are HazMat response units and the remaining eight are referred to as Technical Rescue Team (TRT) Units. The TRTs are a smaller version of the USAR Units.

The Regional Response System will be standardized allowing each unit to be compatible with the others. The Intermediate and Regional Units will also include an interoperable communications system that will operate in conjunction with the state 800 MHz system.

Pictures of HazMat response unit

Harold Stewart Fire Chief 918-423-9300 ext. 4932

By nature, hazardous materials create incidents that are very technical and complex for first responding personnel. For this reason, it takes well trained and knowledgeable individuals that can assist in the stabilization and containment of the hazardous material released. The McAlester Fire Department staff have spent many hours procuring this equipment scheduling training and preparing procedures and policies in preparation for this new addition to our department. Line personnel have spent many hours training in preparation for this trailer. We have 23 firefighters trained and IFSAC certified as Hazardous Material Technicians. The remainder are certified at IFSAC Hazardous Material Operations level. When our department responds to a WMD/CBRNE, Hazardous Material incident we will dispatch seven (7) certified technicians with two (2) fire personnel certified at operations level a total of nine (9) firefighters. Because of the complexity of the hazardous material incident, there must be precise action that must take place to assure the safety of the public and emergency responders at the scene. The McAlester Fire Department Hazardous Material Response Team (H.M.R.T.) will assure that the safety of all participants and the public be placed as the highest priority.

Respectfully submitted by:	Harold Stewart, Fire Chief