Overview
Please respond to Kevin with 150 words
As far as training and equipment goes, I feel that my community is able to handle incidents involving hazardous materials however speaking on the side of personnel I do not feel my community would be able to handle a massive hazardous materials incident. I have spoken with the local fire departments on different occasions and they have said that the are short staffed as well as EMS personnel and police officers. I feel that if there was a major hazardous waste incident then other agencies from outside would need to be called in to assist with containment and clean up. I feel this is a problem due to funding as first res ponders in my area are not paid very well so they leave the local departments in order to find better pay and benefits. However, having a working dialog between different departments and agencies is always a good thing as it will provide assistance when needed in order to offset other resources. With different agencies working together on a common goal they are able to better protect the environment and people from hazardous materials.