Latest news with #HAZMAT
Yahoo
a day ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Illinois State Police gifted new, high-tech command vehicle
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The Illinois State Police is adding a new, state-of-the-art vehicle to its fleet, one that administrators hope will enhance public safety and improve emergency response coordination. It's a 2025 Freightliner command vehicle, which will replace a similar vehicle that is 18 years old and outfitted with antiquated technology. The new vehicle has high-definition cameras and monitors, state-of-the-art communications technology and real-time data access. It can also function as a conference room with dual slide-outs. Illinois appoints first female State Fire Marshal Administrators said in a news release that the vehicle will serve as a central hub for State Troopers during emergencies like natural disasters, large-scale accidents and search-and-rescue operations. ISP also plans to use it for training officers on responding to HAZMAT incidents. 'This command vehicle gives us the ability to respond faster, coordinate more effectively, and better serve our communities during critical incidents,' Director Brendan F. Kelly said. 'It's a mobile operations center that puts technology and leadership exactly where it's needed most—right on the ground at the scene of the incident.' The vehicle will also serve a purpose beyond emergency situations. To strengthen the connection between the Illinois State Police and the public, the vehicle will also be used for community outreach programs, safety demonstrations and public events. The Freightliner was provided to the ISP by the Office of Radiological Studies within the U.S. Department of Energy. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Cass County hosts hazardous materials exercise
Nearly 20 agencies gathered on Wednesday as the Cass County Local Emergency Planning Committee held its annual hazardous materials exercise at the Walton Community Fire Department. The exercise, focusing on emergency response to damage to an anhydrous ammonia pipeline, included discussion to ensure life safety of the public and responders, to effectively communicate protective actions to the public, and environmental response to contain impacts and mitigate lasting hazards. LEPC exercises take weeks to months to plan. Before the exercise there are multiple meetings with key response partners, industry representatives, and subject matter experts to put together a plausible scenario that provides a substantive test for the jurisdiction, according to a press release from the Cass County Emergency Management Agency. On the day of the exercise, evaluators from outside the jurisdiction 'grade' the response and provide feedback to drive further planning. Following the exercise, an After-Action Report/Improvement Plan document is put together that identifies strengths as well as areas for improvement. Areas for improvement are tied to target completion dates and in most cases the LEPC aims to have issues addressed before the next exercise. Occasionally, larger or more complex issues might take multiple years to address. Most items are taken care of in weeks or months. Responders participate and provide feedback. That feedback, along with evaluator feedback, comes back to the LEPC and is utilized to improve plans and fill capacity gaps for emergency response. Resource gaps identified help drive grant requests for training, equipment and other resources. Participating agencies for the 2025 exercise included American Red Cross of Indiana, Cass County Board of Commissioners, Cass County Emergency Management Agency, Cass County Highway Department, Cass County Sheriff's Office, Clinton Township Fire Department, Existential Media, Galveston Fire Department, Grissom Air Reserve Base – Emergency Management Office, Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office – HAZMAT Section, Indiana State Police, Logansport Memorial Hospital, Parkview Health, Royal Center Fire Department, Sunoco LP, New Waverly Fire Department, Walton Community Fire Department, Young America Fire Department. The Cass County Planning Department and US National Weather Service Northern Indiana provided support to prepare materials and information for the 32 responders participating in the exercise. While the Indiana Emergency Response Commission requires LEPCs to conduct one exercise a year, Cass County typically conducts three or more. For 2025 a full-scale HAZMAT exercise is expected this summer, along with a tabletop focused on community medical preparedness this fall, according to the press release. The LEPC, in concert with EMA, conducts hazard identification, vulnerability analysis and risk assessment activities for chemical emergencies within the county. The annual exercise is a state requirement to test local plans, identify capacity gaps and identify action items in areas of planning, equipment, training and organization.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
2 adults critical, child, 4, stable after 'hospital case' at West Philadelphia home: officials
The Brief Two adults are in critical condition while a 4-year-old is stable after what was initially thought to be a HAZMAT situation at a West Philadelphia home. Philadelphia police secured the location. WEST PHILADELPHIA - A man and a woman were taken to the hospital and listed in critical condition and a child is stable after police were called to a West Philadelphia home for what was initially thought to be a HAZMAT situation, officials said. What we know Philadelphia police rushed to a home on the 5200 block of Webster Street in West Philadelphia Saturday, a little before 10:30, for what officials call a "hospital case." Medics transported a 20-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center where they are listed in critical condition. A 4-year-old child was rushed to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and is listed as stable. The scene was secured by police. According to authorities, the scene was initially thought to be a HAZMAT situation. That team was eventually cleared, officials said. What we don't know Officials provided no information about what prompted the call in the first place, or information as to what "hospital case" means. No other details about the situation were released by authorities.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
City of St. Joseph names new Fire Chief
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph Fire Department's new leader is coming from within its ranks. Ivan Klippenstein has been named the department's new chief. Klippenstein joined the SJFD in January of 2002 and has served in several roles, including firefighter, first responder, confined space technician, driver and captain. He has been a training officer with the department since October 2019. Klippenstein began his career with the Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, Fire Company as a volunteer firefighter in 1989. He also worked as an EMT in the community. He joined the Lewistown, Idaho, Rural Fire Service as a volunteer wildland firefighter in 1990 and has been a member of the Central DeKalb County Fire Protection District since 1998, serving as its chief from 2002 to 2005. Klippenstein was a firefighter at Rosecrans Memorial Airport from 2001 to 2002 and taught firefighting, HAZMAT and first responder courses as an adjunct instructor at Hillyard Technical Center from 2003 to 2007. I've been involved in fire service since I was 17 in some form, and there's a lot of good coming in the St. Joseph Fire Department that I look forward to leading," said Klippenstein, in a press release from the City. "I want to create involvement and inspire people. I think many would like to participate, and they just need to be given the opportunity." Klippenstein will lead a staff of about 130 in St. Joseph and was chosen from a pool of 20 applicants, which included three internal candidates. St. Joseph City Manager, Mike Schumacher said Klippenstein's experience in training set him apart form other candidates. "Ivan is the right person to move our fire department forward," Schumacher said in a press release. "We want to take care of our professional and hardworking firefighters by making sure they are equipped with training that prioritizes their safety and that of our citizens. Klippenstein's appointment is effective Monday, May 19. His salary will be $140,000. He replaces Kenny Cordonnier, who retired on April 4, 2025.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Free specialized job training course takes place in Springfield this week
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The City of Springfield is offering specialized Green for Greene Environmental Job Training this week through the Department of Workforce and Economic Vitality. The program is free of charge and designed for unemployed or underemployed people in Greene County looking to make a career change. Green for Greene, a training program for environmentally focused jobs for Greene County, is funded by a grant through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The City has offered Green for Greene courses since 2016. The courses typically include 15 different certifications in environmentally focused jobs, but this week's training course is more specialized. By the end of this specialized program, the seven participants will be able to drive commercial vehicles with hazardous and flammable materials. These participants are focused on receiving their HAZWOPER (hazardous waste operations & emergency response) certification. This includes learning the proper way to handle hazardous materials and learning how to use the equipment to do so. City Utilities talks about supplies after severe weather repairs This week's training will also include professional development help from the City's Department of Workforce and Economic Vitality. 'We'll go over to some career development with resumes, interview techniques,' said Katherine Proctor, spokesperson for the City of Springfield's Department of Workforce and Economic Vitality. 'Then we will also connect them to employers that are hiring. So that way they have that warm handoff. And once they complete this training, theY have that job waiting for them.' After a full week of classes, hands-on practice and career skill building, participants will continue on to a seven-week online CDL course with a hazmat endorsement. Receiving the CDL with the hazmat endorsement will allow them to haul potentially hazardous and flammable materials like gasoline and propane. Valerie Ott is the only woman in the class. She says she is thankful for this opportunity and encourages everyone to look into a trade to see if it is right for them. 'First up is certification, and once you have that, you're entering the workforce, so it's nice to feel prepared and be ready for interview, be ready to turn in your resume and just feel like you have everything you need to move forward successfully. Downtown Springfield says goodbye to Rusty Worley Jason Meador is also taking the class this week and says Green for Greene was a great opportunity to make a change in his career. 'Well, I was interested in a career path change, and I looked into CDL driving with HAZMAT endorsement. So thankfully, Green for Greene was available,' Meador said. 'The people that work for Green for Greene have been very helpful in everything that I need.' While this specialized training won't be offered again until later on, there will be a typical Green for Greene course offered in June. You can find the application to apply at the City of Springfield's Department of Workforce and Economic Vitality website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
