NCJ Number
132701
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 39 Issue: 3 Dated: (March 1991) Pages: 93-100
Date Published
1991
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article describes Minnesota's structure and procedures for responding to hazardous-materials (hazmat) incidents and offers suggestions for ways other jurisdictions can improve their response to hazmat incidents.
Abstract
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Division of Emergency Management has a duty officer available to handle questions and respond to emergency situations 24-hours a day every day. The duty officer can be reached by means of a statewide hotline or a separate 7-county metro area hotline. Several State agencies are responsible for dealing with a hazmat incident. The State has also equipped a hazardous materials response van and trailer. Personnel from seven State departments and divisions are trained to respond with this equipment. The usual procedure is for the State agency people assigned to the equipped vans to respond first to a hazmat alarm. They assess the situation and determine the need to activate the entire State hazmat response team. This article recommends a program that involves a State hazmat team operation similar to Minnesota's; local hazmat teams; the fire department; bomb squad; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms personnel; or other experts with specialized training for dealing with hazardous materials or explosives. An important resource is CHEMTREC (Chemical Transportation Emergency Center), which can provide immediate advice by telephone for the on-scene commander at a hazmat emergency. The article also describes the use of the Emergency Response Guidebook, lists resources, and discusses the importance of lining up experts in advance.