The Regional Hazardous Materials Response Program is an innovative response system designed to provide specialized response of personnel and equipment to the 351 communities of the Commonwealth, to enable them to protect the public, the environment, and property during incidents involving a release or potential release of hazardous materials.
Six Regional Response Teams are strategically located for a maximum of 1-hour response anywhere in the Commonwealth. The Regional Teams also support local fire departments with technical information and specialized equipment.
In 1982 the governmental officials created a task force to investigate the most uniform and cost effective way to address Hazardous Materials Emergency Response. It was determined that a regionalized approach to response would be the most effective. The Commonwealth was then divided into six regions, by fire district, and a response team was staffed for each of the six districts.
In 1994, through cooperative efforts of the Executive Office of Public Safety, Fire Chiefs' Association of Massachusetts, the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts Association of Hazardous Materials Technicians, a proposal was made to the Administration and Legislature for establishment of a funding mechanism to create a standardized regional response for the mitigation of all hazardous material incidents. A bond fund was issued for the creation of the program to establish a statewide, standardized, hazardous materials regional emergency response plan. The funding enabled the Commonwealth to provide state-of-the-art equipment and training .
The division has now created a statewide Mass Casualty Decon Plan.Guidelines for Potential Infectious Disease Response – PPE Donning/Doffing file size 1MB
This presentation gives guidance to public safety agencies on donning and doffing personal protective equipment (PPE) for high level infectious diseases, in response to Ebola concerns. It includes the U.S. Centers for Disease (CDC) recommended N-95 respiratory protection level and the optional full face respirator for respiratory protection. The Department of Fire Services, in collaboration with the Mass. Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), the Mass. Department of Public Health (MDPH), the Boston Fire Department and others, developed this in response to numerous requests for guidance and is not intended to be a mandate. It will be updated based on further recommendations from the CDC or MDPH.
Contact Hazmat by email, phone or fax at:
|Main Telephone Number||(978) 567-3150|
|Main Fax Number||(978) 567-3155|