City of Sugar Land


As seen in the Fall/Winter 2006 issue of Texas Fire Chief

Emergencies occur quickly and without notice. As residents of Gulf Coast, the Sugar Land community annually confronts meteorological events, such as flash floods, tornadoes and hurricanes. Unfortunately, preparation must be in place for man-made disasters as well. U.S. Highway 59 and major railroads traversing the city have made chemical spills a concern, and now, terrorist attacks are possibilities that must be considered.

Like many suburban areas throughout the nation, the city of Sugar Land, Texas, a city of 74,000 residents located 20 miles southwest of Houston, faced new challenges in a post 9/11 world that forced city governments to address response to releases of hazardous materials (hazmat).

It became evident that the long-standing practice of relying on the hazmat response resources of the nearby Houston Fire Department was no longer acceptable. Minutes can make the difference between loss of life and property, not to mention permanent damage to the environment. Historically, during regional incidents, the resources of HFD were not available as they were already encumbered.

With that in mind, Sugar Land began the process of researching the feasibility of operating a hazmat response team. Prior to 9/11, when Sugar Land had considered operating a hazmat team, it was clear that the city resources to achieve this goal independently were not available. In 2000, Sugar Land began meeting with the surrounding fire departments of the cities of Missouri City, Stafford, Richmond and Rosenberg, as well as the Fort Bend County agencies, to create a county hazmat response team. This produced much discussion and some gathered resources, yet not a dedicated and continuous program.

Through a great deal of persistence, post 9/11 Department of Homeland Security grant offerings and regional participation, this collaborative approach paid off for all involved with the successful acquisition of more than $1.5 million in equipment and funding. Grant opportunities made it possible to fund a team of trained hazmat response professionals and the purchase a needed response vehicle equipped with state-of -the-art technology. Collaborating entities of the 13 surrounding counties of the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), and the cities included therein, now have access to the Fort Bend County Regional Hazardous Materials Response Team. In Fort Bend County, a 50 percent reduction in hazardous material response time is achieved.

Beginning the Process

The first step in forming the hazmat team began with a great deal of research. After Web-surfing, site visits and much discussion, service gaps were identified; focus was then directed at resources needed to fill those service gaps. Thus began the development of personnel requirements, training, certifications, equipment lists, vehicle specifications and resource logistics to fill the gaps. Sugar Land's ability to dedicate greater resources provided for an agreement that the primary hazmat vehicle should be housed in Sugar Land. The city of Sugar Land took a leadership role within Fort Bend County, designating a fire station and assigning 16 personnel for hazardous materials response. This enabled an initial response in a single apparatus staffed with a minimum of four personnel, equipped to conduct situation research while en route, quickly mitigate an incident and document the results with on-board technology. Other cities in the county are responsible for providing additional assistance and redundancy. The team is an important component of regional hazardous material incident response for the following Texas counties: Fort Bend, Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Wa1ker, Waller and Wharton.

The Emergency Response Plan

An equally important part of the hazmat initiative was the creation of an Emergency Response Plan (ERP). The plan provides standard operating procedures to hazardous materials and/or weapons of mass destruction (WMD) events within Fort Bend County, the region and the state.

At the heart of the ERP is the utilization of a three-tier incident classification system determined by the following criteria. 

  • Extent of city, county and state government involvement

  • Extent of injuries, and/or deaths

  • Extent of civilian evacuation needed

  • Availability and need of Hazardous

  • Material Response Team (HMRT)

  • Level of technical expertise required to abate the incident

Level I incidents are identified as being effectively managed and mitigated by first responder personnel without the HMRT or other special unit. Level II incidents require the special technical assistance of the HMRT, industrial specialists or government strike teams. Level III incidents are considered major disasters requiring the incident manager to consider Emergency Operations Center activation.

The Right Stuff

Once personnel were selected for the response team, training began. Taking advantage of federal training programs, personnel participated in the Emergency Response Training Center in Colorado, the Weapons of Mass Destruction Training Program in Nevada and the Incident Response to Terrorist Bombings training in New Mexico. These classes offered hands-on live training situations. Looking at the Houston Fire Department's Hazardous Material Team 's expertise, a ride-along program was established that allowed team members to observe and participate with experienced hazmat responders.

Ongoing training, whether at the station or out-of-state, is essential to maintaining the skills and knowledge of our personnel for worst-case scenarios. Currently, additional personnel are training to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection standards course, which far exceeds federal standards. The expectation is to provide citizens with the best service possible; highly trained personnel are essential to achieve this goal. The Emergency Response Plan An equally important part of the hazmat initiative was the creation of an Emergency Response Plan (ERP). The plan provides standard operating procedures to hazardous materials and/or weapons of mass destruction (WMD) events within Fort Bend County, the region and the state.

State-of-the-Art Hazmat Response

As an emergency responder, few things are more exciting than receiving new, technologically advanced equipment. The initial grants provided for new radio packages, poly face piece head harnesses, hazmat personal protective equipment, smart zone technology and more. However, due to the high cost of equipment, hopes of a haz-mat vehicle were nearly non-existent. Excitement overflowed when notification that the H-GAC, a Texas Council of Government, with a major role in deciding who receives funds, had funding available from non-expended funds.

The funding was now reality and a key component in obtaining the resources for managing hazmat incidents. A hazmat truck and equipped trailers were now possible. All the elements were now in place. In January of 2006, nearly six years after the process began, Sugar Land Fire ~Department publicly introduced the new region service by holding a ribbon cutting ceremony at Fire Station #5, which houses a hazmat response unit ready to serve a 13-county area. The hazmat partnership provided leverage to possibilities for training and outfitting a team with the resources necessary to provide a wide range of services.

The Never-Ending Story

Through strong communication by all the entities involved and the Homeland Security Grants, a trained and equipped team of personnel is standing ready to respond effectively to any hazmat situation. However, like any good story, this is a never-ending process. Continued planning for the probable as well as the improbable must occur. Training is ongoing, with each team member receiving eight training hours in addition to firefighting and emergency medical training each month. Newer and better technology and equipment is constantly being researched. Yet, reaching above and beyond all of this success is maintaining open lines of communication between all the involved entities and living the "working together for a common cause" motto imprinted on the side of the shining hazmat vehicle.

 

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