HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
A hazardous material is any item or agent (biological, chemical, physical) which has the potential to cause harm to humans, animals, or the environment, either by itself or through interaction with other factors.
All full-time members of The Wickliffe Fire Department are trained as Hazardous Materials Technicians.
We also house one of two hazardous materials response trucks in Lake County. Our truck (Haz Mat 2) contains the equipment needed to deal with a release of hazardous materials. Haz Mat 1 is located at Willoughby Station 1; it is used as a command center and research facility.
Our members participate in Lake County's "Hazardous Intervention Team". This team is responsible for larger emergencies that are beyond the capabilities of a local department alone.
In 2009, the Lake County HIT was evaluated by "The Hazardous Materials, Weapons of Mass Destruction and Decontamination Technical Advisory Committee." The committee's mission, in short, is to assure appropriate hazardous materials response capabilities throughout The State of Ohio. The committee works under guidelines established by the Ohio Response System and with principles outlined in the National Incident Management System.
The Lake County HIT was rated a Type I team. This is a team capable of handling emergencies including very large and complex incidents and suspected terrorist activities with unknown CBRNE (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosives) products. There are currently only three teams in The State of Ohio that have this rating. This rating puts the Lake County HIT on the front line to respond to a large portion of Ohio in the event of a major hazardous materials or terrorist event.