Published: July 27, 2009 10:24 am      

HAZARDOUS DUTY

Reporter dons fire suit, learns about hazardous material

By ELLIS GOODWIN

Staff Writer



t’s hot. I’m wearing 50 pounds of bulky gear. Sweat is dripping into my eyes, and if I make one wrong move I could be killed.

That’s how it is to handle hazardous material. It’s dangerous with the potential of being deadly, but that thought never crosses my mind. It can’t, because if it does I won’t just fail my training, I’ll fail my team and the citizens I protect. I’ll drop the ball-and dropping the ball in this field could be a one-way ticket to the morgue.

Each year the Chickasha fire department and 17 other hazardous material teams take a training course. The course is a refresher for emergency personnel, and keeps firefighters up-to-date on the latest hazards and deterrents.

The life of a firefighter can be difficult, especially in Chickasha. They wear multiple hats and must be trained to handle fires, hazardous material and injuries. Constant training amidst daily emergencies and 100-degree heat can wear you down, but saving lives is what we live for.

The job offers a rush and rewards at the same time, and constant training keeps our confidence levels up. They run, lift weights and do anything they can to stay in the best physical form possible. Carrying so much gear in this high stress environment demands physical fitness, but it also demands finesse.

I found all this out the hard way on Friday, when I joined them for a portion of their hazmat training. The boots are like bricks tied to my feet. The jacket is big and bulky, and the helmet and respirator block my vision. This training is as lifelike as it gets.

Here's what a fire fighter might think as he approaches hazardous material:

As I approach the jar filled with an unknown liquid I fall back on my training. I forget about being hot and sweaty, focus on the task at hand and go over a checklist in my mind.

I take it slow, try to remember my training from last year and recall all the technologies and techniques at my disposal. The jar could have anything from anthrax to zinc.

These are real chemicals and hazards. The exercise itself isn’t hard, but I know that one lapse of concentration could spell disaster. This refresher course is important. It keeps us sharp, and if we’re careful we will all go home safely.

Later, we approach a chemical lab in a home. On first glance it seems it could be a methamphetamine lab, but that would be a serious mistake. After studying the contents we believe it is used to make toxins. We don bright orange haz-mat suits and respirators and again approach with extreme caution.

The heat is sweltering and the smell of mildew fills the air. We find the lab is used to make ricin, a highly toxic chemical extrapolated from castor beans. A piece equivalent to half a grain of sand can be deadly. The lab looks real and is real, except for a few key ingredients.

These training exercises are no joke. They are treated with the utmost respect and performed rigorously. At any time we’ve got to be prepared to strap in, zip up and safely remove any dangerous materials.