When called, the Hazardous Materials Division responds to and assists the Fire Chief (Incident Commander) in coordinating and managing incidents when hazardous materials are suspected to be involved.
They provide the Incident Commander with assistance with regard to handling HazMat incidents when the full team response is not required, however, technical assistance is needed.
The Division operates under protocols established in the County’s Hazardous Materials Response Plan and Terrorism Annex. They provide the Department of Emergency Response interface with the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health (DBCH), Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), the NYS Office of Emergency Management and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation on matters regarding hazardous materials.
This unit responds at Level “A”, the highest level of protection available to its members to operate in the most hazardous environments. This highly trained team meets all Public Employee Safety and Health (PESH) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements and responds within the Hudson Valley region as well as Dutchess County.
Members of the Hazardous Materials Division are volunteers and are on call 24 hours a day.
