Which organization coordinates emergency response to hazmat incidents with police and firefighters?

Response Capabilities

Typical Hazmat incidents are categorized by tier based on the required level of response.  All teams work at the request of and under the command of the local incident commander.

• JHIRT – Joint Hazard Incident Response Team – Contained Suspicious Powder Calls,
  Assessment of Clandestine Laboratories, and/or Activation of
  Clandestine Lab Enforcement Team (CLET)
• Tier 1 – Hazardous & Risk Assessment – Suspicious Substances, Open or Loose Suspicious Powders
• Tier 2 – Short Term Operation – Limited Release
• Tier 3 – Long Term Operation – Full Team – Large Release
• Tier 4 – Multi District Response – Multi-Operational Period
• Tier 5 – WMD/Mass Contamination – Full System (6 teams) Response

The HazMat division has additional capabilities: 

Joint Hazard Incident Response Team - JHIRT is made up of cross-trained Hazmat technicians and State Police bomb technicians for responding to situations where an explosion involving chemicals is possible. The JHIRT can be requested for suspicious powder calls, to assess possible clandestine laboratory situations, and to initiate the multi-agency Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement Team (CLET).

Maritime Incident Response Team - MIRT was developed after a fisherman captured a mustard gas canister in his trawler and was severely injured. This team can respond to Hazmat incidents on boats off-shore and on waterways.

Fire Ground Air Monitoring - FGAM can provide vital information to the incident commander to best protect firefighters on scene and any nearby vulnerable populations. 

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