Oklahoma Hazmat Gear Sees Some Action

Oklahoma Hazmat gear sees some action

By OMER GILLHAM World Staff Writer
10/5/2008


Tulsa and OKC firefighters are striving to keep equipment meant for homeland security in use.


Fire departments in Tulsa and Oklahoma City are having to be creative to keep millions of dollars in Homeland Security equipment off the shelf and in good working order.

During the past three years, Tulsa and Oklahoma City have received special HAZMAT trucks and rescue vehicles as part of a statewide preparedness system established after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

The specialized trucks and accompanying equipment are linked to the Homeland Security funding bonanza following the attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Since 2001, Oklahoma has received about $170 million for homeland security and emergency preparedness, with the bulk of the money flowing in after 9-11, records show.

The Tulsa World asked firefighters in Oklahoma City and Tulsa how often the terrorist and rescue equipment is used. Other equipment is sitting idle or being used by first responders across Oklahoma, according to a Tulsa World investigation in 2006.

During the past two years, most of the specialized trucks and rigs delivered to Oklahoma City and Tulsa have seen limited duty since there have been no terrorist attacks in Oklahoma, and fire departments already had HAZMAT units and rescue units in place before Sept. 11, 2001.

For example, since its delivery 30 months ago, a special HAZMAT unit in Tulsa has not been officially deployed for the state's regional response system, said Capt. Bill Lind, HAZMAT coordinator for the Tulsa Fire Department.

Similar to a fire truck, the specialized rig cost $750,000. The fire department keeps the truck in working order by rotating it into frontline HAZMAT duty once a month, Lind said.

Meanwhile, Tulsa's mass-decontamination unit — a $270,000 trailer and truck — has not been called out for official duty since it was received two years ago, Lind said.

The decontamination unit would be used to scrub down a large number of people exposed to chemical or radiological elements.

When asked if the equipment is overkill or truly needed, Lind said: "It is definitely not overkill. The equipment is useful because in the event of a terrorist attack or major disaster the equipment is vital for the rescue and well-being of the citizens. Try to get through a major disaster or event without it, and you will see the need for it."

In March 2006, Tulsa and Oklahoma City received two specialized trucks known as CBRNE units, or enhanced HAZMAT units. The trucks and crew can respond to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives (CBRNE) attacks.

In early 2007, Tulsa and Oklahoma City each received an urban-search-and-rescue rig and accompanying equipment.

Costing $1.2 million each, the rescue rigs come with an extensive equipment cache that includes shoring equipment, concrete saws and hydraulic spreaders to rescue trapped people.

While equipment purchased with Homeland Security money was primarily designated for a terrorism response, it also is designated for an all-hazards response that includes natural disasters, said Kerry Pettingill, director of the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security. Some of the equipment creates a needed redundancy in HAZMAT and rescue gear, he said.

To keep the equipment operational, Tulsa and Oklahoma City have found creative ways to use the equipment for chemical spills and other hazardous material and responses to natural disasters such as ice storms and tornadoes.

Due to this use, Tulsa's search-and-rescue rig has seen a little more duty than the CBRNE and mass-decontamination units. That rig has been deployed three times in 18 months.

It was used for search-and-rescue work after the Picher tornado struck in May and the massive ice storm hit Tulsa in December, said Dennis Beyer, chief of homeland security for the Tulsa Fire Department.

In Oklahoma City, firefighters have used their CBRNE unit extensively for chemical spills and other emergency calls. In the past year, the unit has responded to 28 HAZMAT calls inside and outside the city and assisted on 54 calls within the city, said Cecil Clay, deputy chief of the Oklahoma City Fire Department.

However, Oklahoma City's search-and-rescue unit and mass-decontamination unit have only been deployed once in about 18 months, Clay said.

"There is absolutely a need for all this equipment,'' Clay said. "If you had another Murrah bombing, it would be needed. In fact more equipment would be needed for that kind of event.''

Meanwhile, seven years after the terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists, the state continues to receive millions of dollars in Homeland Security funding, and the state still has millions on hand to be allocated, records show.

The Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security received $13.2 million in 2008, Pettingill said. A Tulsa World investigation in 2006 revealed that the state Homeland Security office had $81 million in unspent funds. While the state Homeland Security office has gotten better at allocating federal money, the office still has about $54 million on hand to be allocated or encumbered, Pettingill said.

"Most of the funding is obligated and will be spent or it will be obligated to be spent soon on projects," Pettingill said.