Duty Officer Vehicle - 2003 Chevy Suburban

Haz-Mat 29 maintains a duty officer program 24/7, 365 days a year during which a chief, captain or lieutenant is assigned as a first response officer during alarms or when technical guidance is requested by a local emergency service agency. With over 50% of Haz-Mat 29’s responses handled by the duty officer, these rigs are equipped to handle a variety of incidents. Their equipment complement includes spill control supplies, air monitoring equipment, mercury clean-up kits and material sampling kits. All three duty officer vehicles (including a 2009 Ford Expedition EL and 2005 Ford Explorer) are equipped with on-board computers (Chief 29 has a MacBook Pro) while the vehicles pictured also feature printer/copiers.

Haz-Mat 29-3 - 1974 Mack CF600 (Refurbished 1993)

Originally serving Mount Sinai (Long Island, NY), it was donated in 1994 by Armstrong World Industries (a local manufacturer with several factories in Lancaster Co.). Having now been sold to a private collector, it operated as a foam/decon unit allowing the team to be self sufficient in providing decontamination of its’ members, a requirement for the FEMA Type 1 haz-mat team certification they were working towards. As part of the Lancaster County Foam Taskforce, it was outfitted with assorted expansion nozzles & eductors, 500 gallons of water, 350 gallons of foam (250 gal. onboard), over 1,000 pounds of Metal-X (sodium chloride) and 100 pounds of Lith-X (for use on lithium fires).

Haz-Mat 29-2 - 2006 Ford F-550/Reading

Handling many of the team’s responses for fluid spills, this rig can handle a second incident along with Haz-Mat 29-3 or serve as the primary response vehicle when Haz-Mat 29-1 is out of service. It is equipped with resource materials, chemical protective clothing, SCBA’s, air purifying respirators, a variety of meters including radiological and WMD, non-sparking hand tools, chemical absorbents, a pneumatic patching system and a mini-fridge for rehab supplies.

Spill Containment Trailer - 2006 Road Master

Measuring 29’ long, it is designed to handle any size spill response. It features a generator, three reels (50’ & 300’ air, 100’ power), side/rear scene lights, interior work lights, a 36” x 5’ side compartment and ramping doors on the rear and “V” nose. It is equipped with bulk amounts of spill control supplies (booms, pads, pillows, drip pans, etc.), overpack drums, underflow dam piping, steel rebar, wood stakes, a DeWalt® 18 volt power tool kit, small and large diaphragm pumps, a portable generator and air compressor, hand tools, water safety equipment (life jackets, throw bags) and portable lights to illuminate the work area. The trailer also carries a Gator all terrain vehicle for accessing and ferrying equipment/manpower to remote locations.

Haz-Mat 29-1 - 1995 Simon-Duplex/Saulsbury

Custom built, this rig is organized with spill control supplies on the driver’s side and entry/”suit-up” equipment on the officer’s side while rooftop storage holds decon equipment and spill control supplies for use in waterways. Capable of transporting a crew of nine, it is equipped with a roll-off awning for protection of the crew while “suiting up”, an abundance of scene lights and a full command center.

Special thanks to Chief Chris Strayer & team member/officer trainee Nate Hammel for their assistance with positioning the apparatus & providing background information on the team’s operations.

Originally organized in 1983 with trained members from four volunteer fire companies, the team evolved into a separate designated volunteer unit authorized by Lancaster County to meet federal SARA guidelines for haz-mat response & mitigation. Serving a 944 mile response area, the team’s 20 active volunteers respond to an average of 100 alarms annually including several out of county mutual aid responses. Certified as an advanced team, Haz-Mat 29 responds from their own custom designed four bay station.

Haz-Mat 29-1’s command center is accessed from the officer’s side using stowable electric powered diamond plate steps. With seating for seven, it features a laptop, research materials, communications equipment, a weather station and zoom lens video camera.