Hazardous Materials Response Team

The Daytona Beach Fire Department Hazardous Materials Response Team was formed in 1979 to safely mitigate emergencies involving hazardous material leaks/spills within our jurisdiction, and provide mutual aid assistance and maximized use of limited resources. As a result, in 1983 the Volusia County Hazardous Materials response Team was officially created, with the Daytona Beach Fire Department serving as a vital component. Today this 65 member multi-agency response team includes participation from 10 municipal fire departments, Volusia County Fire Services, and support personnel from departments of Road & Bridge, Transportation, Emergency Management, and Environmental Management.

The Daytona Beach Fire Department maintains seven members on the Volusia County Hazardous Materials Response team. Two members are assigned to each shift with the remaining members subject to pager call out as needed. Team members receive specialized training in hazardous material handling techniques, including Haz-Mat I & II (prerequisites), Haz-Mat III, and NFPA competencies at the Awareness, Operational, and Technician levels. This Hazardous Materials training is ongoing, and includes joint monthly training, periodic drills, and annual LEPC exercises.

The VCHMRT utilizes two converted 1987 Ford ambulances and a thirty foot 1995 International Harvester Navstar as HM-1, HM-2, and HM-3 respectively, for emergency response. The team functions as an Operations Branch within the requesting fire department's Incident Control System, providing Level A entry, air monitoring, leak & spill containment, and paramedic (Tox-Medics).
 

The Daytona Beach Metropolitan area has numerous facilities containing hazardous materials necessary to their manufacture or operations. Additionally, transportation corridors to major industrial complexes beyond our jurisdiction pass directly through Daytona Beach (including I-95, I-4, SR-5, US-1, and the Intracoastal Waterway). With more than 50,000 registered chemicals in use today, the risk to public safety is answered through the collective efforts of all VCHMRT participants.