UNIVERSITY PARK – The new chief of Penn State’s all-volunteer Hazmat team has had a long-term commitment to emergency response service.
Les Gordon, special waste technician in the Office of Environmental Health and Safety, has been a member of the Hazmat team for 12 years and has been active in volunteer fire service for 36 years. He was one of the first members of a new Hazmat team in South Carolina before moving to Pennsylvania.
“Involvement in emergency response service is an opportunity to use my skills and knowledge and give back to the community,” said Gordon, who currently serves as assistant chief of the Centre Hall Fire Department. “Most of our team members have extensive experience in emergency services, including firefighting and emergency medical services, and also have a genuine desire to protect the public.”
Established in 1985 to deal with incidents involving hazardous materials on the University Park Campus, the team has served as the Centre County Hazmat Team since 1993.
Certified by the state of Pennsylvania, the team consists of 24 members, all full-time employees from various departments, including Environmental Health and Safety, University Police, Office of Physical Plant, Office of Student Affairs, Applied Research Laboratory, and the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering departments.
“The skill and expertise of team members are key to its effectiveness in dealing with hazardous material incidents,” Maurine Claver, director of Environmental Health and Safety and team administrator, said. “Every team member plays a critical role and they rely on each other while on call.
“We not only protect the University, but with our designation as the Centre County Hazmat Team, we are responsible for responding to hazardous material releases and emergency events over 11,115 square highway miles, including 32 miles of Interstate 80. In fact, three-quarters of the team’s responses are off campus.”
According to Gordon, who was named chief in February, the team’s role has changed since 9/11 from one of responding to specific hazardous material spills to being prepared for more catastrophic events.
“Previously, our activities focused on emergency response to incidents such as chemical spills and accidents on the interstate,” he said. “Now our training is focused on preparation for dealing with weapons of mass destruction and possible terrorist attacks. It is geared to preparing team members as specialists in those fields. Our role has become one of defending and protecting.”
“Sept. 11 is always on the minds of emergency service responders, because of what we do,” added Steven Triebold, a team member and manager of Fire Prevention and Protection in Environmental Health and Safety. “Immediately after 9/11, we handled 200 anthrax calls in one month. So, it is in the forefront, but we don’t focus on it. We always have to be prepared for individual incidents such as accidents on Interstate 80 and our response to them.”
The Hazmat team works closely with outside agencies on special events on campus, including visiting dignitaries, and is on standby during home football games at Beaver Stadium. During the Penn State-Northwestern game last fall, the team was dispatched from the stadium to the State College Post Office on the report of a sticky substance leaking through a package. Brian Bittner, Police Services Officer and team member, said the team surveyed the area, took a sample and determined it was not a hazardous substance.
Hazmat team members initially are required to complete a 40-hour training course to be certified as a Hazmat technician. That is just the beginning of their training. Team members meet monthly for training programs and are regularly involved in drills and tabletop exercises. Individual members undergo specialized training in specific areas.
Eight team members, Claver, Gordon, Triebold, Michael Burke, David DeCapria, William Dreibelbis, Curtis Speaker and David Witmer, have completed certification requirements as Hazmat specialists in specific areas, including chemicals, radiology, toxicology and incident command structure. Jason Zajac, police supervisor, University Police, is completing certification requirements as an explosives specialist.
Key to the team’s training is its 2-year-old facility located on Big Hollow Road. In addition to an engine bay for the team’s response vehicles, it includes an up-to-date meeting/training room with television capabilities for monitoring local emergency events and wireless laptop connections for use by participating government agencies.
“The facility has given team members the opportunity to utilize the primary response vehicle during training, which is critical,” Claver said. “We have to train a great deal and we need the equipment to do it effectively and effectively. It also is beneficial in that we are able to interact and develop relationships with other emergency response and public safety groups that are offered its use for various types of training.”
According to Gordon, as the team’s role has changed, its manpower needs have increased.
“We continue to look for new members,” he said. “Membership is open to any full-time University employee. We are looking for people from different backgrounds and different specialties who can bring diverse input to the team. Primarily, we are interested in anyone who has a desire to be involved in emergency response and has a willingness to learn. We will train them to meet qualifications.”