

Hamilton County
Office of Emergency Management
and
Homeland Security
Empowering the Whole Community
hazardous materials team
Hamilton County Hazardous Materials Team (HAZMAT) was founded in 1986. The Hazmat Team has been extensively trained and equipped to respond to the threat and/or deployment of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

The Hazardous Materials members who make up the team (including firefighters, emergency services personnel, emergency management personnel and chemical facilities employees) are specialists with advanced training in hazardous materials that will bring various skills to the team.

Hazmat vehicles often come with a portable lab complete with sinks and fume hoods that allow for the analysis of samples collected at the scene. Essentially a mobile laboratory, this allows early on-site scientific analysis and monitoring to speed up the detection process and allow firefighters and emergency services personnel to provide the correct response for the particular incident.

The Hazmat team is operational 24/7 and is the posted Hazmat team for Hamilton County. It is also one of the primary response agencies for the TN Homeland Security District III. The most common types of calls involves acid spills, petroleum product leaks and spills, gasoline and chemical spills, chlorine and vapor leaks. The team often works with several local and regional agencies to assist different types of hazardous material emergencies. These multi-jurisdictional agencies work together and have developed an understanding of what each agency's role in in an emergency situation.
