• In the beginning of March, 2005, Assistant Chief Mike McCarty became our Special Operations Chief, replacing Division Chief Mike Love.  Chief Love provided timely support and guidance during his tenure as Special Ops Chief.  After recently meeting with Chief McCarty, along with the other speciality team leaders, I am confident that Chief McCarty will provide HIRT with his insightful leadership, organizational vision, goals, and support. The current plan is for team leaders to meet with Chief McCarty on a monthly basis.  Also, at Chief McCarty's request, a binder identifying HIRT membership, equipment inventory, and critical short and long term goals, was provided to him for his information and review.
• As was announced earlier in the month, Lt. Michael Adams has set up a Montgomery County HIRT website.  Mike has already completed some really fantastic work, and if you have not visited the website, you can access the site at www.montgomerycountyhazmat.com.  Mike has been on disability leave for over a month and we all wish him a speedy recovery. 
• Captain Grierson is still accepting suggestions, regarding the design of our  new Haz Mat unit.  Please forward any suggestions to him ASAP, so that they may be considered and possibly incorporated, into the unit design process.  Presently, the Hat Mat Unit Design Committee is planning to visit other jurisdictions, who have recently received new haz mat units, in an effort to identify options which the committee could submit into the design of our haz mat vehicle 
• Lt. Daley and the Grants Committee are organizing equipment requests for the Fire Act Grant.  Lt. Daley and the committee are working with representatives from the Chevy Chase Fire Board, since the actual grant has to originate from the Chevy Chase Fire Department. Thanks to some hard work and research done by FF Tommy Miller, we are making submissions requesting both the purchase and/or upgrade of our detectors, which, if awarded, would dramatically enhance our teams monitoring capabilities.
• Special thanks to FF Catalina Smith, who has just completed an up to date equipment inventory list for all HIRT units.  FF Smith has invested countless hours in completing this task.
• The County has now received additional Level A PPE from the UASI Grant.  Plans for the safe storage of these garments are now being evaluated.
• After many draft copies of the proposed  Mercury SOG,  the final copy will be distributed to all HIRT personnel in the beginning of April.  Many thanks to the hard work performed by Captain Socks, Lt. Blandford and the SOG Committee. 
• Draft flow charts for the administrative and operational organization are being circulated to all  haz mat stations for review and comment. The proposed changes in the organizational structure is to provide necessary oversight, and to provide a more manageable span of control. I am in the process of meeting with all team officers to discuss the changes and to answer any questions, regarding the organizational flow.
•  Captain Gross and the EMS Functional Group met on February 11th at Station 28.  Work continues in three areas; writing of protocols, pre post entry evauation SOG, and training for Haz Mat Medic program.  Much discussion about pre and post entry evaluations including NPFA standards, Montgomery County Rehab policy and FROMS impact on evauations.  Chris Whitehead and James Carpenter to draft SOG for committee review.  Future training initiatives to incude chemistry and toxicology class with Toby Bevelaqua and development of MFRI Toxicology class for Maryland State certification.   
• Discussed possible positioning of Paramedics at Station 28 and 29 cooperative training with USAR.  Cindy Beach assuming some responsibilities in Haz Mat for USAR Team and will be an asset in this cooperative effort 
• Meeting held at Frederick County Station 31 on February 18th to discuss multijuristictional approach to writing Maryalnd State Protocols for Haz Mat EMS.  Agencies present were Montgomery County (LeRoy Gross), Prince George's County (Dennis Wood), and Frederick County (Dennis Wenner and Rick Hines).  Agencies to be incuded in future work to be Baltimore County, Anne Arundel, and Howard County.  Format and Content discussed.  Also discussed Pre-hospital toxicology course to be taught at MFRI to become required course for Maryalnd Haz Mat Medics.  Model presented by Montgomery County (LeRoy Gross) from Tuscon, AZ which included text book, Powerpoint presentations, course exam and recertification modules.  Second meeting to occur in one month to continue progress.
• Captain Socks and the Training Committee has proposed the following short and long term goals:

Short Term Goals (6 months)

      1.  All current DFRS HazMat Team personnel certified to MCFRS HazMat Technician (NFPA 472) which currently is an eighty hour program.

      2.  Certification documentation provided and placed on file either by the PSTA or DFRS. (OSHA requirement).

      3.  HazMat Technician Recertification Program recognized by DFRS or PSTA to include eighty hours of skills to be evaluated and tested by certified HazMat instructors.

      4.  HazMat Technician Program (eighty hours minimum) recognized by DFRS or PSTA delivered by certified HazMat Instructors.

      5.  Personnel attendance to the following HazMat Conferences:  IAFC HazMat, VA. Beach, & Harrisburg, PA.

      6.  Personnel attendance to ODP HazMat Programs.

      7.  Additional training day for all HazMat personnel. (excluding Sunday)

      8.  Probationary program for newly assigned team pesonnel to include an additional forty hours of in-house training prior to receiving certification pay.

Long Term Goals (1-3 Years)

       1.  Specialty training for all officers assigned to the HazMat team to include: IC/HM Branch Officer and Safety Branch Officer. (NFPA 472)

       2.  Specialty training for all HazMat Technicians to include: Railroad Tankcar, Cargo Tank Truck, and Intermodal Containers. (NFPA 472)

       3.  HazMat Field Chemistry Program for all HazMat Technicians.

       4.  Delivery of a HazMat Toxicology Program.

       5.  HazMat officers attendance and participation with the PFD Officers Training Program (HazMat) using their virtual reality IC program.

       6.  Specialty training for all HazMat Technicians to include:  WMD Scene Management and Field Evidence Testing, WMD Awareness & Operations Programs.

• Standby for additioinal instruction regarding the training standards, for the 2005 recertification process.

I want to thank all personnel ,who invested their valuable time and hard work, in preparation for the Presidential Election, Inauguration, and the State of the Union. We will continue to include terrorism response, with all other necessary haz mat training. Constant training is paramount for our personnel  to confidentially and safely meet the challenges presented, when  responding to any hazmat incident. 

March 14,2005
HazMat Grant Committee Meeting Min.

Sunday 4/10/2005
Capt. Grierson pasted on critical information on use of HSU7's lift gate.

Wednesday 4/13/2005 Please send any information that you feel needs to be reviewed or calls with lessons learnedto the Safety Committee.