Syracuse Fire Haz-Mat Response Team Deployed to Town of DeWitt

Published on September 15, 2022

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – On September 15, 2022 at 10:03 a.m., Syracuse Fire’s Regional Haz-Mat (hazardous materials) Response Team was requested to deploy to the Town of DeWitt by the DeWitt Fire Department, who was on the scene of an unknown substance in a container, inside of a business. Certain physical characteristics of the product led the DeWitt firefighters to escalate the resources on scene—they initiated a request to the Syracuse Fire Dept. for a haz-mat response.
The Syracuse Fire Haz-Mat Response Team met the DeWitt Fire crews for a briefing and to collaborate on an action plan to attempt to identify, contain, and dispose of the product. The haz-mat team made entry to the business wearing ‘Level B’ haz-mat suits and analyzed the product. The team then carefully moved it into a 55-gallon metal drum and sealed it. The team members in the haz-mat suits were decontaminated from any possible product they could have gotten on themselves. ‘Level B’ suits include a head-to-toe splash-protective ensemble and a full-face breathing-air apparatus.
The public was at no risk at any point in this operation and there was no release of the material into the environment. The scene was turned back over to the DeWitt Fire Department to await an environmental clean-up company that will dispose of the drum according to state and federal regulations. Syracuse Fire units were clear the scene and back in the City of Syracuse within 2 hours. We thank our partners at DeWitt Fire, DeWitt Police, and the 911 Center for their successful collaborative response.
Syracuse Fire’s Regional Haz-Mat Response Team is available to assist and collaborate with any fire department in the region that requests us. The Syracuse firefighters that work on the haz-mat response team are dedicated, highly-trained and ready to put themselves in hazardous environments to contain and mitigate dangers, from small spills to major train derailments.