Haz-mat teams roll in L.A.
Departments
DISPATCHES
Referred to as SCATs in Los Angeles City, manpower response squads in Los Angeles County, hazardous materials companies have been activated by both the L.A. City and L.A. County Fire Departments.
In a six-month period, SCATs (Strategic Chemical Attack Teams) 4, 27, and 39 responded to 62 hazardous materials incidents in the 455-square-mile area of L.A. City.
The specially-trained units respond on call and on first alarms in the city’s high value districts, which include the downtown area, office buildings, high-rises and heavily populate! areas. The squads also are called in when additional manpower is needed to fight fires not involving hazardous materials.
L.A. City’s fire prevention unit operates a mobile fire lab that works with the SCATs. The mobile lab has three functions, explains Captain Dean Cathey of the L.A. City Fire Department The lab is equipped to identify and determine the extent of an unknown chemical; to monitor toxic environments and test the atmosphere; and to assist in arson investigations by analyzing debris with detection equipment and taking material samples.
Plans are underway to develop the lab into a state-of-the-art unit. The lab has been in service since 1975. The department is looking to have a portable working lab that would enable materials to be analyzed on the scene, said Cathey. Plans call for equipping the mobile unit with computers, a gas chromatograph, and a mass spectrograph, which is a type of “fingerprint” machine for chemical materials, explains Cathey.
The two manpower response squads in the L.A. County Fire Department, squads 87 and 105, responded to 114 incidents in an eight-month period.
The response area covers 2200 square miles, including counties and 2.5 million people.
Each five-man unit is made up of four fire fighters with 400 hours of specialized training, and one captain with 900 hours of specialized training.
The units are designed to respond on all two-alarm and multiple-alarm fires. The squads also are called frequently for mutualaid assignments.
