Minnesota has 11 Hazardous Materials (Hazmat) Emergency Response Teams which are composed of a minimum of nine trained personnel. One hazardous materials specialist and two technicians must be available to respond at all times.
Support During an Emergency
Hazmat Teams provide local incident commanders with:
Technical support and monitoring
Professional responders trained to exceed OSHA and NFPA competencies
Specialized equipment and reference materials
Additional support and/or follow-up by other state agencies as needed
Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a Hazmat Team at an incident scene are:
Hazard assessment
Technical assistance
Reasonable mitigation
Hazmat Teams are capable of sampling for unknown identification of substances and materials as well as:
Air monitoring
Plume projection
Evacuation/sheltering recommendations
Over pack/containment of a container
Sample collection (not evidence)
Limitations
Hazmat Teams are not allowed to assume overall command of a local incident; they cannot clean up or transport hazardous materials, mitigate explosive devices or clandestine drug labs, or respond to waste abandonment/abandoned barrel calls.
Emergency Response Guidebook
This guidebook is used by first responders during a transportation incident involving dangerous goods and/or hazardous materials.
