Fire Department Acquires New Hazardous Material Response Equipment

New Hazardous Material Response Equipment Click each photo to enlarge view. View of the decontamination equipment with setup shower. Additional equipment in the trailer consists of backboards and other medical equipment.

Decontamination trailer with three line shower setup and shelter with water and tent heaters in foreground. Unit was set up for a training session with the neighboring Hazmat Unit.

Training session in Level A suits with decon shower in foreground. The shower is a three line unit that can accommodate large numbers of people. The trailer can supply temporary clothing for people being treated.

Engine One pumping the deluge gun for a training exercise.

The Fire Department received a Georgia Emergency Management (GEMA) Homeland Security and Domestic Preparedness grant to fund the purchase of a hazardous material trailer, decontamination and logistical support equipment for the trailer and a new vehicle to pull the trailer.

The equipment allows the Fire Department to establish a response program and improve the city's ability to respond to hazardous material incidents, and to better prepare for the possibility of terrorist attacks in Decatur or in DeKalb County.

The grant totaled $325,228 and provides the city with a wealth of disaster response gear, including decontamination facilities, level B hazardous material suits, heaters, breathing apparatus, contamination monitors, stretchers, emergency lighting and more.

Fire Department officials sought to acquire the equipment for the safety of the citizens of Decatur, which is the most densely populated municipality in the state, and for the firefighters who will respond to hazardous material calls in the city.