Large-scale hazardous materials training underway
Kalispell Fire Department firefighters Jake Hall, center, and Todd Hawes, right, help members of their HAZMAT Team and members of the Montana National Guard 83rd Civil Support Team experience what the decontamination process would be like if their suits had been exposed to hazardous materials, at the Woodland Water Park on Tuesday afternoon, May 21. (Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)
Kalispell Fire Department firefighters and members of the Montana National Guard 83rd Civil Support Team head to the Woodland Water Park pool to experiencing what they would have to deal with if they accidentally fell into water while working with a hazardous materials incident on Tuesday afternoon, May 21.(Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)
Jason Schwager and members of the Kalispell Fire Department pack and reload their HAZMAT gear on day one of a two day training with the Montana National Guard 83rd Civil Support Team. Today the two teams will be formulating a response to a scenario being staged on the Flathead Valley Community College property.(Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)
Members of the Kalispell Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team are conducting a joint training scenario today on the grounds of the Flathead Valley Community College with members of the Montana National Guard 83rd Civil Support Team. The Civil Support Team, which is comprised of 22 full-time HAZMAT technicians and is deployed to deal with both weapons of mass destruction and to aid local first responders with hazardous materials, is in town from Fort Harrison, near Helena.
Day one of the training on Tuesday revolved around hands-on experience with the various equipment and the opportunity to experience how they work in different environments. Day two, today, will be applying the learned technical and tactical skills during a simulated scenario.
“”When we typically train on a large-scale exercise, we are attempting to capture all the elements that would be in play in a real world incident,” Kalispell Assistant Fire Chief Jon Campbell said.